Crimson Threads
by Audy Ruki
Summary: AU. In an era where clans of samurai, daimyō and Shōgun dominated the lives of those below them, a young survivor of the harsh streets found herself caught in the midst of it all; responsibilities, politics, corruption, vengeance, and... love? Gradually, the truth began to unravel before her unsuspecting self. And it all started with a simple stumble upon a certain blond samurai...
1. Prologue

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_Disclaimer: The characters, the settings and any other content of Naruto used in this story belong to the original author, Kishimoto Masashi. The writing, plot, original characters and additional details of this story belong to me and shall not be reposted and publicised elsewhere without my expressed permission._

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><p>Crimson Threads<p>

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><p>Prologue<p>

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><p>"<em>Please pardon me for the intrusion, sir."<em>

_A young man in the middle of the wide _dojo_ room stopped his strike in mid-air. Sweat glistened on his bare back and torso, a few small scars barely visible on the surface. His pants of his dark _hakama _rustled a bit as he turned around to see an attendant in his late 40s, kneeling on the wooden floor of the hallway, his hands on his lap and head bowed slightly in respect._

_He lowered his wooden katana. "Yes?"_

_The attendant raised his head a little before relaying his message. "The lord master and the head general requested your presence in the main hall at once, sir."_

_Mildly surprise, the young warrior blinked. He released one of his hands from the handle of the katana and wiped away the sweat on his forehead with the back of his knuckles. His brows furrowed slightly as he contemplated. Sure, the old man summoned him often enough for the most ridiculous things – like fetching his sake cup – but he did not remember any meetings arranged in that day that required his specific presence; least of all a summoning from the _lord clan leader_ himself of all people. _

"_Did they mention why?" he asked._

"_I believe it is regarding the young clan successor, sir."_

_His fair eyebrows rose. He definitely did _not_ expect that._

"_Now?"_

"_Yes, sir."_

_He sighed, and relaxed his stance. He just had to find out about it himself by going there, then. And he was just about to finish his warm up, too. So much for a good training in the evening… "I see. I will be there, then." He dismissed the attendant with a nod._

_The attendant rose to his feet, bowed again and paused momentarily, as if remembering something. "And, sir? The, uh…" he fidgeted, "head general instructed me to tell you to be there on time to the meeting, and," he cleared his throat, "_no funny excuses_."_

_The younger man grinned and scratched his head, looking sheepish. "Ah… that old man got me." It's not like he was planning on getting late in the presence of the clan lord. He shook his head and turned back towards the training room, wordlessly dismissing the attendant. The sliding door slid close, and the attendant silently left._

_The young man placed the wooden katana back to its holder on the wall. Then he made his way to the corner of the room, where the opened _shōji _door connected with the outer courtyard. He slipped on a pair of straw sandals and stepped on the stone path, walking towards the edge of the courtyard, where a wooden bucket of water with small ladle on the top was placed. Scooping out the water using the ladle, he washed his face and cleaned after himself. _

_With that done, he reached for the white cloth neatly laid out for him earlier to dry himself, and shrugged on the discarded robe on the top of the pile next. Afterwards, he set to dress himself to prepare for the meeting._

_He retrieved his katana and the matching _wakizashi_ on the low table at the one side near the entrance, and secured the sheathed blades on his hip, sliding his hand along the smooth, polished sheath as he did so._

All set_, he thought. His mind drifted back again about the purpose of this meeting. He was young, indeed, almost fifteen of age, to be precise, but he was a skilled warrior nonetheless. Nevertheless, just what could he exactly do in his position with the young successor? An escort mission, perhaps? he mused. His eyes narrowed at the notion; disdain and regret reflected in his dark orbs as recalled the last escort mission he'd been assigned to have been especially tragic –_

No_, he shook his head firmly; _do not even think about it_. He had his duties, after all, and dwelling in the past too much would not bode well for him, as well as for the clan._

_With absent movements, his hand lightly traced a scar across his left eye before it moved south to tug at the dark material pooled at the base of his neck._

No matter_, he thought with a sigh. He just hoped that whatever the clan lord and that old man had in store for him was something he could execute within his expertise as a fellow warrior; however young that he was. _

_With another sigh, Hatake Kakashi pulled his mask on, adjusted the edges and went on his way._

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><p>"<em>Our clan is best known for its unmatched superiority as a powerful samurai clan. As every other member of this clan, you will honour the will of your master and commit yourself fully to lead our clan towards glory.<em>

_Your obligations are only for your duties and commitment as a part of the main house of the Uchiha clan. Remember, we take pride in the knowledge that the strong ground which the Uchiha are standing on through all these years are the result of our stern, unrelenting forces and leadership. Tolerance and gentle compassion will only pave the way towards the weakening of our standing, ultimately resulting in the clan's destruction. Emotions are for the weak; we Uchiha do not tolerate weaknesses of any kind. Have I made myself clear, young Uchiha?"_

"_Yes, my lord."_

_The older man clad in dark, formal attire of the Uchiha clan seated on the grand, raised platform – reserved only for the clan leader's use - with higher ranking clansmen consisted of generals and elders lined up in a single file on his both sides at each end of the room, grunted and curtly nodded, apparently satisfied with the kneeling younger male's submission. He poured fine sake into two small, narrow cups._

"_Very well, then. As the leader of the Uchiha clan, I, Uchiha Fugaku, shall formerly initiate you, Uchiha Sasuke, as a member of the main Uchiha family, as well as the second heir to this clan. Arise now, Uchiha." _

_The dark-haired younger man rose to his feet, and waited for the man's further orders. The clan head held up one of the cups, then gestured for him to step forward. He obeyed, and knelt a few feet away from the raised platform. _

"_Drink up, and you will be officially initiated as one of my main successor at the end of this ceremony," the older man instructed._

_The younger man took the offered sake cup, waited for the other man to drink it first before he followed suit. The taste of the alcohol burned his throat as he slowly sipped on his drink._

_Uchiha Fugaku finished his drink, and set his cup down. He dismissed the other gathered clansmen present in the room with a wave of his hand. It took a few moments for the clansmen to bow respectfully to their leader before they silently departed. As the door slid close, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. A hint of weariness darted across his face, before it swiftly turned back to its usual, stern facade._

"_This ceremony is now over. You will receive proper training and education in preparation to become a full-fledged heir from the clan's Elders and high-ranked generals; that will also includes your brother, Itachi," Fugaku announced._

_Sasuke felt his jaw tightened, and carefully forced the bitterness out of his voice as he spoke. "I will give my best to be worthy of the title, Fugaku-sama," he said in monotone as he bowed before Fugaku._

_Fugaku grimaced, and grunted irritably. "You're being too formal now, Sasuke. I told you before to address me by my title as the leader in the presence of other people; not when we are only among one another," he admonished._

_Sasuke sat on his heels, and bowed again; this time only by inclining his head slightly. _

"_Yes, Father."_

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><p>"<em>Hey! Give it back!"<em>

_A small group of young teenagers rounded a younger boy. They snickered and taunted the boy as he tried unsuccessfully to reclaim a stick of sweet, sticky dumplings dangling from the hand of the tallest one in the group. He stood on his toes and stretched his hand towards the dessert. But he was just too short, so he couldn't reach it, dammit!_

_As the boy jumped a few times and tried to reach it, the other bullies pushed him around, resulting in having the blond-haired boy to land on his butt on the dirt ground. He clenched his jaw and grimaced tightly, as he felt the faint sting of tears started to burn his eyes._

"_Oh, what's the matter, kiddo? Someone stole your candy?" the one holding his dango mocked, while the others jeered and sniggered._

"_Look! I think he's gonna cry!" the stocky one of the group added._

"_What a crybaby. You sure you're not a girl?" a lanky boy sneered. The others continued to taunt him and laughed mockingly._

_He gritted his teeth, holding back a snarl threatening to torn out from his throat. _

_He couldn't stand it. He was not a crybaby! He was just so mad that these punks decided that it was okay to just do as they wish with him. And that was his dango! His mother gave him the money to buy a stick of dango, a well-deserved treat for his share of chores around the house this whole week. He did not just scrub the floor, clean the kitchenwares and weed the garden only to have his hard-earned treat to be taken away by them!_

_As he tried to push himself up, however, the stocky one pushed him down roughly on his chest. The boy fell back down on the ground with an 'oof', and squinted his eyes shut at the impact. This time, a single tear escaped the corner of his right eye. He heard the others laughed, and a pair of heavy footsteps approaching. Knowing what was coming next, he hunched his shoulders, and braced for the impact – _

_But it never came. Instead, the voice of a little girl interrupted the stocky boy's advance and his companions' taunts._

"_Stop it right there!" _

_The young boy slowly cracked open an eye. The first thing that entered his vision is the sight of a small girl – her head barely even reached the other bully's torso – and a shock of soft, pink hair._

_He opened both of his eyes fully, and slowly they widen in awe. Was the girl – hardly around his age, he assumed – actually standing up for him? Against these punks that were older in age and bigger in size than both of them combined? Was she being su...sui...side-el? However that was supposed to be said – well, that was what his five -year old mind decided._

_But above all, even in the midst of the situation, he couldn't help but to marvel at the strange colouring of the girl's hair. He never saw such unique hair colour on anyone before; the closest to such colour was his own mother's glorious red mane. Granted, he had never travelled much beyond the trees surrounding the small village, but he wondered about the origins of this strange little girl. _

_He snapped back to attention when the leader of the three bullies – the one keeping the dango, he assumed – snorted._

"_Who the hell are you, missy? Little girls like you shouldn't butt in other _boys_ business, y'know."_

_The girl squared her small shoulders, undaunted. She crossed her arms, widen her stance, and stand up straight with her chin held high, looking indignant. She would have made a pretty intimidating figure, if not for her petite form and the cute, little red ribbon tied in her pink hair._

"_Give him back his dango," she demanded haughtily._

_They only laughed in response. "If we don't wanna, watcha gonna do about it, pinkie?" the lanky one sneered._

_She huffed in annoyance. "If you think you're all so strong and might-ey, you'll pick on someone of your own size!" Then she smiled, her eyes glinting with challenge. "Or maybe, you pricks are just scaredy-cats that can't put up a fight against real men."_

_The young boy on the ground had to stifle his snicker as the bullies were taken aback and sputtered in shock, but his mirth swiftly evaporated and turned into concern as they bristled in anger, and the stocky one of the group turned to her, his face thunderous with fury, and raised his meaty fist._

"_Why, you little –!" he shouted, before he was abruptly cut off by one of his companion's hand on his chest, stopping him._

_Bewildered, the stocky one made a face and opened his mouth, about to demand an explanation for the sudden intrusion, but as he caught his friend's terrified eyes, he trailed the line of his friend's eyesight and froze._

_The young boy, puzzled by the punks' weird exchange, turned around as well to see just what had elicited such reaction from them. His eyes swept the sight before him, and found that nothing was out of the ordinary except for a man with a cloth mask covering half his face , – strange, he thought, it's pretty hot this time of the year to wear such thing – looking for all in the world as nonchalant as any passerby, leaning against a tree a good hundred yards away across from them; however, his clothing and the katana secured on his hip – almost hidden by the long sleeve of his robes– completely differed him from a random villager._

_A samurai._

_And a _real_ one, too, he realized._

_With his jaw hung open, a wide 'O' forming on his mouth, the young blond boy widened his eyes even more, imitating two big, blue saucers. _Wow_, he inwardly marvelled, _it's a real samurai! So cool!

_The samurai looked on the site casually, but as his gaze settled on the stocky one's eyes, it turned cold and menacing. The boy visibly tensed, then immediately dropped his hand to his side, stuttered a quick apology, and swiftly ran along the opposite path leading towards the town. Daunted, the others quickly followed suit and fled the scene, dropping the forgotten dango on the dirt path._

_All the while, the young boy never took his mesmerised gaze off the mysterious samurai._

"_Hmph! Serves them right! I told ya they're a buncha cowards, couldn't even stand against a girl!" the pink-haired girl proudly proclaimed. _

_The blond boy started, having almost forgotten the other girl's presence there, and turned his gaze towards the girl. He felt his cheeks burning as she turned around fully to face him. Big, round and clear green eyes met his bright blue ones. Soft pink hair framed her small, delicate face, and a few stray strands brushed the side of her temples. Her small, ribbon lips curled up into a smile as she looked down at him._

_He wondered if his beautiful mother was as pretty as this girl when she was younger. _

_She bent down a little and offered her hand. "Can you stand?"_

_Awestruck, he dumbly nodded his head and took her proffered hand. She helped him get back on his feet and stepped back to wait for him to recover his balance. Feeling her concerned gaze on him, his face reddened a shade deeper as he shuffled uncomfortably. He looked back to where the samurai was, only to find that he was no longer around. Astonished, he looked around and found the path barren of anyone's presence. _Where did he –?

"_Are you okay?" she asked, a small crease slightly marred her smooth – and wide, he absently noted – forehead._

_He shook his head slightly, as if clearing his head of the sudden confusion. "Yeah, I'm okay, I guess..." he trailed off. Did his mind just made it up? Maybe he was seeing things; he _was_ being knocked down and pushed around before by those bullies, not to mention that he was still feeling pretty dazed since the girl's abrupt appearance._

"_What's your name?" she asked, watching his strange manner bemusedly._

_He broke out of his daze, noticing the girl staring at him and stumbled on his answer. _

"_Uh...it's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."_

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><p><em>It was raining.<em>

_It was night time, and it was raining._

_The roars of the crashing waves were muted by the deafening sound of thunderstorms, thrummed from within the dense, dark clouds hanging low and menacing on the horizon. _

_The small rocked sideways as another strong wave hit, the violent wind stretching the sail tautly, the side of the ship creaked loudly. _

Pitter patter_, went the sound of the heavy rain drops pattering on the wooden floorboards._

_The merciless onslaught of waves and the unrelenting weather put the crews of the cargo ship and the boarded passengers on edge; keeping them constantly in motion even in the icy downpour that soaked them even to the deepest layers of clothing._

_All save for one; whose numbed senses did not reach the far, distant recesses of her sub-consciousness._

_A bolt of lightning struck, illuminating the night sky for the briefest of moments._

_Barks of orders and shuffling of movements over the deck could be heard from them, loud enough even amid the booming thunderstorms and occasional strike of blinding lightning._

_But they were muffled to the ears of one; the scenes and voices barely registered to the owner's distant mind and unseeing eyes._

_They were nothing but mere incomprehensible, distorted details that did not matter in the slightest to the child hidden between two large stacks of crates at the far end of the cargo aisle._

_Curled up on the filthy ground in the small space between the crates, the child propped her knees up and held them close to her chest in an attempt to appear as small and insignificant as she could. The downpour had completely drenched the thin layering of her clothes covering her small frame and plastered her hair to her face; the dripping fringes covering the barest hint of downcast green eyes._

_She did not care. She could not bring herself to care, as she feared if she allowed herself to indulge the privilege of emotion at that moment, she might lose it and break down. _

_Her grip on the handle of a small, sharp object – a kunai, she recalled – tightened, as her thoughts ran adrift and memories came unbidden..._

Your name is Aki... from now...

Follow me... I'll show you...

Take it... as a gift...

Run!

_She gasped sharply, as a sharp stab of pain spiked somewhere from within, and she almost retched as a hollow, helpless feeling threatened to wash over her. _

_She could not think any further, as tears pooled in her eyes, slid down her ashen cheeks and mixed together with the pouring rain. She screwed her eyes shut, along with the remorse and grief eating away at the insides of her. _

_She did not know how long she had stayed that way, aside from the occasional movements on her part, peeling of bits of the spoiled bun hidden in her sleeve when the hunger was no longer bearable to her. Other than that, she remained ignorant to her surroundings and the passing of time. How long had it been since...? _

_Seconds? Minutes? Hours? _

_... Days, perhaps?_

_It could have been an eternity, or even just the space of a breath maybe, for all she cared. Everything else passes in a blur to the young girl, as when she was jerked awake by the sound of men shouting and ordering around – with the sky strangely clear and some other noises in the background, she absently noted – she found that the ship she had boarded was being docked to a harbour nest to another smaller shipping boat._

_She was still dazed from her sudden wake of a restless slumber when the sound of heavy footsteps _

_approaching was heard bounding from a corner of the aisle. Alarmed, she scooted closer inward, and scrambled her mind for an escape. However, before she could form any sort of plan, a weathered man noticed her presence in the shadows of the crates._

"_Gotta take these crates off to the pier – what the hell?"_

"_What is it, Kouta?" the voice of an elderly woman called out from the other side of the aisle._

"_Tsuyo-san, come here quickly!"_

_Another pair of lighter footsteps approached, as the older woman reached the scene to inspect the younger man's urgent beckoning, and she exclaimed._

"_Good heavens, what do we have here!"_

_The young girl could only stare in apprehension, mouth agape, like a deer caught beneath a spotlight._

"_What in the heavens does a child doing here, all alone?" she muttered under her breath. The elderly woman closed the distance carefully, and reached out to touch her hand._

"_Do not fear, dear child. Come along, now –"_

_As soon as her fingers brushed the younger girl's skin, something inside her snapped. She sprung into motion, leapt to her feet and pushed her way through the two larger bodies. Her small feet carried her across the aisle, over the ship's edge and leapt over to the dock, earning a few surprised cry and odd glances. _

"_Child, wait!" _

_She ran across the harbour and disappeared into the crowd._

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><p>Author's Note: So that's it! For now, anyway. I'm quite satisfied with this one, to be honest. It turned out longer than what I first intended, though. I hope I've managed to catch you readers' interest with this simple prologue. The timeline of each character's introduction are not paralleled, and they are not written in any kind of order.<p>

This is my first time in writing any kind of fiction publicly – least of all a multi-chapter kind of story – so even with my best effort in writing this fic, I'm certain that there are many errors and imperfection riddled in this story. My apologies for that, and if you have the time, please – without force, of course – kindly leave a review so that I'll know what to correct and how to improvise, as I have much to learn from you and other experienced authors. I'll greatly appreciate it.

I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!


	2. Chapter One - Converged Paths

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_Disclaimer: The characters, the settings and any other content of Naruto used in this story belong to the original author, Kishimoto Masashi. The writing, plot, original characters and additional details of this story belong to me and shall not be reposted and publicised elsewhere without my expressed permission._

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><p>Chapter One – Converged Path<p>

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><p>"<em>Hey, you! Get back here, dammit!"<em>

A merchant with a short, stocky stature and rotund belly yelled from across the bustling street. His face thunderous with unrestrained fury, he pointed an accusing finger at the cloaked figure making his way through the crowd in the plaza.

The figure with the dark cloak covering most of the upper part of his body paused momentarily. He tilted his head slightly to the side, and tensed at the sight of the angry merchant wrestling his way through the throng of people from the other side of the road. He cursed softly under his breath at being discovered, and adjusted the dark mask covering the lower half of his face.

_And I was _this_ close at breaking the record..._

He turned away, ran his fingers along the cloth pouch hidden securely inside a sleeve, readjusted the strap of a leather pack tied around his hips, patted the sack slung over his shoulder – covered beneath his cloak – and made a quick survey of the area to make good of his escape.

Spotting a small alleyway pitted in between two buildings ahead, he swiftly turned on his heels and sped away.

He pushed his way through the bodies of bargaining buyers and trading merchants, using the slight build of his lean frame to his advantage; occasionally bumping shoulders with a few other civilians whom grunted curses and admonishments. Without stopping to make amends, he continued on his way, making attempts by using the number of people gathered in the avenue to lose the angry merchant. He ducked beneath a canopy and spotted the point of his escape route.

_Almost there!_

He almost reached the big crack – big enough to fit him through it, anyway – of the stone wall covering the secret route leading towards an abandoned alleyway, hidden in the crevice between two old buildings at the side, when he heard more shouts over the buzzing chattering of the crowds.

"There he is! I see him, master!"

"He's over that road, near the back of the Suzuru teahouse!" another one added.

"Well, then get your rear moving, fools! Or else your rice bowls will be nothing but empty clumps of clay tonight!" He recognized the voice barking the orders belonged to the pompous, angry merchant.

_Not good._

The merchant's servants flinched at the thought of empty stomachs for the night. They scrambled to their feet and hastened to comply for their master's orders. One of them was rapidly approaching the figure in the cloak in the darkened alley, as the other, the plump one took more time to make his way over the road.

The cloaked figure barely made the time to crouch beneath the crack when a shadow fell over him.

"You're going nowhere, thieving brat!"

One of the servants had managed to make it there just in time before he could get away. The servant reached out to grab him by his shoulder, but he deftly rolled to the side and leapt to his feet. Taking on a ready, fighting stance, he prepared himself to take on the fuming servant. The servant growled and closed in, aiming for his throat. He sidestepped over the incoming attack, bade his time as the servant stumbled forward and charged. Grabbing the arm of the shocked servant, he twisted it around the servant's back, and forced him to his knees with a kick to the back of his shin. The servant struggled against his hold, but he held on firmly. A kunai held ready in his hand, he touched the small blade lightly against the older man's throat.

"Don't make me harm you any further," he warned, his voice slightly muffled by the mask covering half of his face.

The servant visibly tensed at the feel of cold metal pressured against his skin, and trembled in his hold; instantly ceasing his struggle. He almost felt sorry for the poor man. He exhaled, and pressed the kunai slightly more to gain the older man's attention.

"I will let you go unharmed, if you will just let me be on my way in peace. Understood?"

The older man gulped, and nodded shakily. He thought that the thief – quite skilled in his combat skills, he reluctantly admitted – was already being generous enough to spare him; he distantly remembered a servant from another house had been killed upon his discovery of two robbers sneaking inside the house late at night just a few months ago. He did not want to push his luck for the sake of his master's stolen items; it simply did not worth the risk.

But then the thought of his hungry son back in the servants' quarters floated up in his mind, and his resolve returned in full force. Just when the cloaked thief was pulling away his kunai and started to loosen the grip on his arm, he cried out in desperation; and with renewed vigor, he tried to snatch the kunai from his captor's hand.

But the cloaked thief was faster than he'd anticipated.

His eyes widened at the older man's desperate attempt to incapacitate him. Reflexively, he pulled his hand away out of the man's reach, brought it up over the man's head and struck the back of his neck; effectively knocking the man out of consciousness as the man slumped forward and fell to the ground.

He sighed, and clicked his tongue irritably. "How troublesome. It's not like I'd really hurt you…" he muttered. It would be easier if the older man would just comply; he preferred not to have to bring harm to anyone unnecessarily.

Just then, as he was checking his belongings and replacing the kunai back to its holster on his thigh, the other plump servant finally reached the scene. He was panting heavily, with sweats covering his round, flushed face. He was already looking worn out from crossing the crowded street mere yards away.

The plump man skidded to a complete stop at the sight of his fallen comrade. With his eyes bulging in fear and his jaw hanging open, the figure in the cloak had to quell the urge to chuckle at the comical expression on the man's face.

Before the plump one could turn around and fled the site, however, he was stopped by the voice of his partner's assailant.

"Can you do me a favor?" he asked.

Bewildered, the plump servant could only stare in open confusion at the other man's request.

He watched as the man reached inside his cloak, and tugged at the strings of a sack slung across his shoulder. He loosened the bound strings and reached inside, taking out four big, freshly wrapped _onigiri _in his gloved hand.

"Here," he proffered the triangular-shaped rice balls up to the confounded servant, "take them. To compensate for you and your friend's troubles. I didn't mean for you guys to take any kind of punishment from that horrible master of yours at my expense."

The servant recognized the _onigiri_ were from his master's kitchen. "B- but – " the servant started, but the thief cut him off mid-sentence.

"You won't be getting any dinner for tonight, right?" He nodded towards the fallen man on the ground at their feet. "Same goes for him too. Take these rice balls, and carry your friend back along as well."

"But, they're the master's –"

"That _swine_ of a man has plenty enough food supply in his store to spare him for the whole year," he snorted. Seeing the plump man remained rooted to the ground, nonplussed and indecisive, he stepped closer to the servant, reached for his forearms and placed the _onigiri_ in his chubby hands, earning a string of incomprehensible sputtering from the startled man.

Hearing a pair of heavy footsteps drawing closer around the corner of the deserted alley, he quickly turned to the plump servant and mouthed, "Keep them hidden."

"I… Thank you," the man breathed, his eyes wide and his tone laced with disbelief at the peculiar manners this supposedly immoral, ill-natured _thief_ had shown him. He shoved the rice balls into a pocket in his sleeves, and smiled hesitantly to thief.

The cloaked thief returned the smile briefly from behind the cover of his mask, and the smooth skin around his eyes crinkling from the gesture. He nodded curtly, retied the strings of the sack and slung it over his back. He briskly made his way over to the crack in the wall and crouched beneath it, disappearing from view.

He made it over the crack just in time to hear the booming voice of the merchant reaching through the crack and bounced off the walls of the cold, abandoned back alley. Snippets of the exchange between the two men were overheard.

"_What! What do you mean by 'he got away'?!"_ He demanded.

"_My apologies, master. But he is very skilled, and even knocked Hideo-san out…"_

"_Hmph, incompetent fools! To think that you let a thief stole my refreshments out from my very own kitchen, _and _got away with it! My finely made, salmon stuffed onigiri…"_

He scoffed at the last two sentences of the merchant's words. The rest of the exchange trailed off in his ears as he walked away silently along the darkened alley.

When he reached a safe distance away from the cracked stone wall near the end of the alley, he took the sack from his back and placed it on the top of a wooden crate on his left. Leaning his back on the wall of an abandoned building, he pulled his mask down, revealing the smooth curves of soft, rosy cheeks and the feminine jaw line of a heart-shaped face.

"Really, now, don't be so cheap. It's just a tray full of _onigiri_…" he murmured.

A weary sigh escaped the cupid-bowed shaped lips, as the thief pushed back the hood of the cloak to uncover the messy tresses of pink hair, bound in a loosening red hair tie at the back.

He _– she_ – huffed, reached inside her robes and tugged at the edges of the bindings wrapped around her chest, concealing the slight swell of her modest bosoms from view. Adjusting the bindings a little for better breathing, she ran her gloved fingers along the unruly, rosy locks, slipped her fingers at the back of her head to release her hair from the hold of the hair tie. More locks of hair fell at the sides of her face, framing her delicate features.

"Well, I guess that means I've overextended my stay here…" she mused.

Reaching for the pouch in her sleeve, she scanned the area surrounding her. Her searching gaze paused at the other end of the filthy alley; she rested her eyes critically over the tumbled down broken crates and baskets.

With the pouch in her hand, she loosened the strings open and inspected its contents. _Oh, and a few hundred ryōs_, _too_, she mentally added with a smirk. She wondered if that fat merchant realized that his precious _onigiri_ are not the only things that had gone missing as well. Obviously, seeing that he had reacted badly as he found out about his missing snacks, she could not help but to imagine – and snickered – of his thundering face upon discovering the other… um_, mysterious disappearance _of his money – typically hidden from view – under his pillow.

She pulled out a few _ryō_ notes and a handful of gold coins, slipping them down into the bottom of the sack on the crate, leaving just enough for her to buy a few days' provisions for her travels.

She bent down a little and rolled the outer edges of the sack to reveal half a dozen of carefully arranged fresh _onigiri_. Adjusting the sack to set it in place, she pulled the crate out a little for a better view. Satisfied with the adjustments, she stepped away from the crate and replaced the pouch back into the pocket of her sleeve.

Gathering her hair at the back of her head, she looped the string around the bunched locks and bound them firmly with the hair tie, leaving the tresses to fall freely as they stirred against the nape of her neck. She pulled the hood of the cloak over her head, covering the distinctive signature of her rosy locks from view, and turned on her heels.

As she walked a few paces away, though, she paused for a moment and called out over her shoulder.

"You might want to eat those rice balls before the creeping rats get to them."

The sound of scuffling footsteps reverberated faintly from the other end of the alley, inching hesitantly closer to the sack of food left on the crate. Two shabbily dressed children – a boy, along with a smaller, skinny little girl shadowing his steps from behind, both not older than seven to eight years old – came into her field of vision as she watched discreetly from the corners of her eyes.

As soon as they noticed the offered _onigiri_ in the sack, the thoughts of caution quickly left them, as they hurried to claim the sack with eager hands. The slightly older boy reached the sack on the stacked crates, and handed one of the rice balls to the smaller girl. She squealed in delight, and stuffed her face with the food.

The young woman covered in the cloak smiled, her verdant eyes softening at the sight. Without another word, she pulled the cloth mask back in place and soundlessly disappeared around the corner.

When the orphaned boy turned to face the stranger to express his gratitude for the offered meal, his thankful gaze only settled on the barren, empty alleyway.

* * *

><p>To become a fine samurai, one must possess the ability to think clearly; to clear his mind of impurities and negativity, and simply let his mind, body and soul merge as one with nature. A great warrior should always maintain a calm presence of mind in any situation, and obtain the ability to make the right decisions sprung forth from the practiced clarity of mind, attaining the <em>Gi<em> – a virtue held true and close to heart to all samurai warrior of any class.

At least, that was what a young, blond haired _ashigaru_ apprentice tried to accomplish.

Seated crossed-legged upon one of the huge boulders under the crashes of the waterfall, was said young man, barely passed the teenage years himself, sitting still in deep concentration.

His eyes scrunched shut and body trembling slightly under the pressure of the icy falling water, he forced his mind out of any thoughts; instead, with his breaths coming in and out with practiced evenness, he focused on his surroundings; the sound of flowing water, the occasional twittering of the birds in the canopy of the forest, the scent of the musky autumn humid air, the whispers of the gentle breeze, gradually becoming one with nature –

"Hey, kid!"

…_Aaand_ there goes his meditation training. His bare shoulders twitched, and his smooth brows furrowed in annoyance, before he cracked open one eye to see a man at a far end of the river bank across walking towards him. His eyes ticked, and he gritted his teeth.

Bless the heavens, he was _this_ close at finally achieving a state of calmness and serenity; something that was a rarity indeed for him, given his boisterous, loud and energetic nature.

Deciding to ignore the older man's calling, he deliberately closed his eyes again, resumed his meditation before he was rudely distracted, and practiced patience. Yes, patience _was _the key in practicing _Rei_, one of the seven important virtues in achieving the understanding of the _Bushidō_ code. As a fellow _bushi _he had to follow through it, to become an honourable warrior himself –

"Hey, kiddo! Did you hear me?! _Na! Ru! Tooooo…!_"

Oh, _Bushidō_ code be _damned_. _That_ was a deliberate act of that perverted old man's part in yet _another_ attempt at messing around with him. A vein bulged and popped on his temples. Granted, patience was never really in the list of his qualities, even from his earlier childhood days. He snapped both of his eyes open, glaring openly at the offending man smirking with obvious satisfaction even from the distance behind the curtains of the rapid cascades.

"What, you perverted hermit?!" growled him.

"Now, now, Naruto. Is that how you're supposed to address your great mentor?"

"You're interrupting my meditation!"

"Oh?" The man scratched his chin and narrowed his eyes; looking as if deep in thought. He shrugged. "Well, then that means that you're not focusing enough in your training to be easily distracted," snickered the older, white-haired man.

Naruto growled in frustration. "You were _shouting_ my name on the top of your lungs, for Kami's sake!" Really, his mentor was purposefully distracting him from this meditation training that _he_ himself had appointed for him to go through. Shove him into any kind of physical training, he would sweep through them with unchallenged perseverance and endurance, often coming out of them with victory, though not always necessarily unscathed at times.

But, _meditation_? Hell, he would sooner run hundreds of laps around the woods naked in the middle of winter before he could even reach the level of complete tranquility and emptiness of mind. He could not bear the thoughts of sitting still for hours on end, _doing_ nothing and even _think_ of nothing during the whole practice. He had brought forth this train of thoughts to his mentor in his first days as a _chūgen - _a young bushi apprentice - some time ago, but all he got was flick to his forehead, followed with Jiraiya giving him an earful of boring lectures about its importance and significance.

His mentor's jovial laugh could be heard clearly even from over the thundering roars of the waterfall. "Come over here then I won't have to shout over the waterfall!"

Naruto cautiously rose to his feet and stepped down from the slippery boulder to a smaller one. He ducked his head through the cascading water of the fall, and dived into the depths of the water. A few moments later, he surged to the surface a few yards away from the boulders. He swam and made his way over to the edge of the riverbank, and rose to his feet as the river became shallower the more he reached the grassy bank.

As soon as he neared his mentor, he propped his hands on his hips and demanded, "So just what made you interrupt me in the middle of a meditation, old pervert Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya merely ignored his indignant demand. "You're too restless, Naruto." Sighing, he continued wearily. " Let your mind wander freely and drift off naturally into emptiness, all the while maintaining a detached sense of alertness and vigilance; I've told you about this many times over already," Jiraiya reprimanded.

"You were calling for me, so I ought to respond one way or another, right?"

"That's beside the point."

Bemused, Naruto inclined his head slightly to the side and arched one of his eyebrows. "What do you mean, Ero-sennin?"

"You twitched on my first call."

A brief moment of astonished silence on Naruto's part passed through them. "… Oh." _Damn it, he saw _that_?_

"Well," Jiraiya continued, "at any rate, you did get a little better than your last attempt at this particular training, _but_," he held up one of his hands, effectively cutting off Naruto's triumphant cry, "it's not enough still. It is still too easy for you to get distracted during the practice. You've got a long way to go at this, kid."

Visibly deflated, Naruto felt his shoulders slumped downwards, and groaned in frustration. It had been five days since Jiraiya had instructed the start of this mental training, and he had hardly advanced on its progress much. Even though today, however, he had finally managed to focus hard enough that his consciousness could actually start to detach itself from the constant flow of thoughts, it proved to be immature still on his part. The precise control of balance between detachment and attentiveness which were the key to achieve an ideal level of _anapana_ was so subtle he would actually snap at the slightest distraction. The example Jiraiya had just wonderfully made for him earlier was a testament to that fact. Not to mention that if there was anyone who could stay still and calm for a long period of time, it certainly was not going to be _him_.

He was so upset by his own weakness he could practically sense the dark clouds hanging over his head.

"Don't get so down, Naruto. It's normal for someone at your early level of bushi training and apprenticeship to face difficulties in mastering this _anapana_ meditation," consoled Jiraiya. Then, with a smirk, he added, "Though, _knowing_ you, it may actually take a while longer than most other _chūgen_ to actually achieve it."

"_Hey!"_

"What?" Jiraiya asked in mock innocence. "It's true, go ahead and ask Kushina about it. She'll definitely agree with me." Watching Naruto so annoyed by him truly was one of his enjoyments in his past time. He reached out and ruffled the shorter young man's dripping wet blond hair. "Relax, kid, I wasn't being serious about it." He smirked. "And really, I was just testing your progress so far in this training earlier."

Oh, he begged to differ about that last part, Naruto thought, as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. You're just having fun at riling me up, Ero-sennin."

"And that, too." He agreed, grinning at the disgruntled sound that had escaped from his grouchy young apprentice. _My, despite the looks, he sure is a far cry from his father's calm disposition…_

"You know, Ero-sennin," Naruto started after a moment, "it might not be this day, but I'll definitely master it! You'll see!" he proclaimed, firm determination written clearly on his face.

Jiraiya smiled. He knew his young protégée would try his hardest and bring the best out of him whenever that kind of look took place on his face.

"Good to hear that," he said softly under his breath. Then, in a louder tone, he said, "Well, then! I suppose having you sitting around and getting nowhere with this meditation training," he ignored Naruto's huffs of protest, "are not benefitting anyone at this point; for the time being, at least."

Knowing what would come next, Naruto did not bother to hide the excitement from his beaming face. _At last!_ Naruto inwardly hopped in joy. He could finally get on the road moving around freely without getting his movements hindered; doing _anything_ other than meditating.

It wasn't that he loathed the prospect of the practice; on the contrary, he actually quite enjoyed it, as on the events when he managed to reach a certain level of passive attentiveness during the practice, it did – he grudgingly admitted – helped to calm his frazzled nerves at times, allowing him to think clearly and eventually resulting in submitting himself to a state of tranquility and mindfulness.

But having to repeat the practice everyday – not to mention the complex skills needed to execute the process – had exhausted him in ways that physical trainings could never be compared to. He had realized, during this whole meditation thing, that mental exhaustion could be way more taxing than physical exertion.

In short, if he was forced to stay this way for another day longer, he might just lose his mind!

"So, what would you have me do, Jiraiya-shishou?" he asked eagerly, deliberately using the proper honorifics for his mentor.

"Well, it's just a simple errand. Now that I think about it, I could have just easily sent a bird messenger or something to get it done already, so…" Jiraiya drawled, seemingly dispassionate as he watched his young student's reaction. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly upwards and hint of amusement glinted from the depths of his dark eyes when Naruto – predictably – whined in protest.

"Oh, come on, Ero-sennin!" he pleaded, swiftly discarding the honorifics he'd used earlier. "I can do it for you! It will be easy! And… and…!" He wrecked his brain to find anything that was worthy for him to offer to bargain with his mentor. He _needed_ this break, however simple and insignificant it might seem. "Ah! And I'll bring some of those pickled plums that you like so much on my way back! How does that sound?"

Jiraiya promptly dropped his disinterested façade. "And more inks and paper scrolls, too."

That perverted mentor of his was certainly toying with him; it was obvious now that Jiraiya had indeed planned to have him go for this errand in the first place. No matter, as long as he got something else to do out of this place for the time being, he was not going to complain.

"Right, right. Those things, too," he easily agreed. He knew exactly what the great hermit Jiraiya planned on doing with those stuffs, especially as he would usually spend his spare time writing his obnoxious books – _romance poetry_, as Jiraiya would have corrected him – as the product of his, um, _extensive_ 'research'.

"Very well, then." Jiraiya reached into his monk robes, and produced a simple scroll the color of light ecru with red linings, stamped in the middle with a black wax seal.

His back straightened in a ready position, Naruto stood at attention as he listened with keen interest to his mentor's instruction.

"Take this scroll to a friend of mine named Lord Nobugaki, in the southern province of the Bird Country. In turn, you will receive another scroll from his part as well."

He slipped out a small, folded paper from a pocket inside his sleeveless _kataginu_ vest. "He lives in an estate an hour walking distance's away from the main town. From the town's square, take the main road on the west. Follow the route uphill, and when you have reached the first fork on the road, take on the trail on the left. Here, take this." He handed the folded paper to Naruto. "The rest of the direction is inscribed here; it should be precise enough to direct you there."

Naruto nodded firmly, eager to get started and hit the road already.

"As you may have already known, you will be travelling there by foot. You are allowed to have the most basic of provisions in your possession at the start of your travel; though, of course, you may improvise the number your rations along the way there. As your mentor, I am also granting you my expressed permission to bring along your katana, as well as a spare _tantō_. Train your swordsmanship skills during breaks on your travels. If there is time to spare, spend it for the meditation and further exploration in comprehending the Seven Virtues. And, Naruto," Jiraiya looked at him straight in the eyes, "do not cause any trouble to yourself or anyone else that would result in unwarranted battles. Use your katana only to your defense and whenever the need arises; you never know what awaits a lone traveler in a foreign land, especially in the current situation the nations are dealing with."

Naruto nodded again, this time more solemnly with serious understanding of his mentor's warnings. "I understand, Jiraiya-sensei."

"Good." Jiraiya nodded, apparently satisfied with Naruto's answer. "Consider this as endurance and perseverance training as an _ashigaru bushi_ on your part. The journey there shouldn't take you too long. At most you probably can make it back here in a little more than a week. I will evaluate your progress then; if you managed to hold up nicely after you get back _with_ the scroll – along with the _other _errands, as well – then I will prepare more advanced lessons within the level of the _ashigaru_ ranking for you." He crossed his arms over his chest. "So, are you up to the challenge, Naruto?"

"Hell yes, sir!"

The older man's serious tone and the charismatic air of a mentor dissipated to be replaced with an easy smile on his face. He knew the boy would not back down so easily even in the face of possible dangers. "Then get moving already, silly boy!"

"Yes, Ero-sennin! I won't disappoint you!" He said it with such infectious exuberance, Jiraiya could not help but to smile widely back with pride at his precious student.

"You better be, kid."

And off he went to the edge of the woods lining the river banks, retrieving his discarded robes hung on a branch along the way, and disappeared between trees.

* * *

><p>It was still early in the morning, as the slim, golden beams of the first light of the dawning sky slipped through the thinning foliage overhead when she neared the edge of the cliff. Morning dews clung to the edges of grasses and leaves; the sweet, musty smell of moss and moist wooden logs invaded her senses even through her cloth covered face. The grassy ground scrunched beneath her weight, as she trudged through the forest and stopped just shy of its edge.<p>

She pulled down her cloth mask, and inhaled deeply, reveling in the crisp, refreshing morning air as she did so. She exhaled in a satisfied sigh, and propped her hands on her slim waists.

She had been travelling on foot – occasionally hitching a ride on some of the travelling merchants' carriage along the main trading route – for days, which was a pretty taxing task in and of itself already. And she had yet to find a decent place to settle in, a market where she could snag a few ripe, juicy apples, and a bath house for her to sneak into a nice, _steaming_ hot bath.

Because at this rate, she might just rival a skunk with her smell alone.

_Yes_, she could _definitely_ use a stop at town or a village for a good respite.

Sighing, she tucked away a stray strand of pink hair, loosened free from its braid, behind her ear. With her free hand, she reached into her leather pack and pulled out a scrolled map, tattered on the edges.

"Let's see…" she murmured, rolling the yellowed map open. She scanned the contents, and contemplated her directions. She should be coming upon a town a few miles from here, after she passed through a narrow river near the foot of the hills, and encountered a series of cliffs.

Well, she did came over the banks of streaming river an hour earlier, and now she stood overlooking the grounds below from a steep cliff; just as the map described. She traced a finger on the map, lingering on the scraggly markings on it, representing the jagged cliffs, and made a mental note of her current position. She stepped out of the forest's shadows into the narrow space of a ledge; the end of the surface sharply turned downwards along the vertical ridge.

The expanse of the vista beneath opened up before her, granting a clear, unobstructed view of the sleeping town down below the surrounding cliffs. The rising sun peeked from behind the opposite hill, painting the blue sky with gentle streaks of rosy blush, picturing a breathtaking sight indeed. She took a moment longer to appreciate the beauteous view of daybreak before she turned her gaze downwards.

She squinted her eyes to see the silhouette of the town located in a valley far in the distance below, enveloped in the shadows of the two hills covering the sides of the settlement. Nodding in decided confirmation, she rolled the map close and shoved it back into her pack.

"Alright, then." She pulled the cloth mask back in place, before she turned away and retraced her steps back into the woods, with one particular destination set in her mind.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Wow. That was <em>long<em>. I didn't really notice it until I reread through this chapter. But never mind that, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! It's a bit of a slow start, but I want to hint on certain things; like the identity of elusive 'young woman in the cloak' – yep, I think we all _know_ already who that is! – and at what standing/status Naruto currently is as a samurai, his relationship with Jiraiya etc.

There were some things that might need a little clarification on their definitions so that you can better understand. I've made thorough research for all these stuff – samurai clothing, weaponry and ranks – before I wrote the plot, so that I can relate to the real history of the samurai era as much as I can for the benefit of this story.

So here they are:

Wakizashi – a shorter blade that usually accompanies the longer, main katana. Usually used in short-ranged combat for better precision, and sometimes even used during the seppuku rituals.

Tantō – a small dagger or knife with no ridge line. An additional weapon of a samurai used in emergencies or for surprise attacks.

Kataginu – a sleeveless vest or jacket worn over a kimono that falls on your lower torso.

Bushidō code – literally means 'the way of the samurai/ warrior'. It's a code of honor that every samurai must devote themselves to.

Ashigaru – Foot soldiers of the samurai rankings. One level above the lowest rank Chūgen and a level below Yari Samurai, the members of this rank have achieved the basic skills of warrior and understanding in the Bushidō code.

Anapana - a breathing technique used in stabilizing meditation, to help counteract the wandering tendency of our mind so that we can experience a geniunely objective view of the world about us, as well as a practice to enhance analytical reflections of a particular concept. Also known as 'mindfulness of breath'.

Alright, that's all for now. They're only simple explanations, so I suggest you should look it up on the net for more the detailed version of it.

* * *

><p>Thank you so much to those who have read, reviewed, followed and or favorited this story on your list! I appreciate them immensely, I really do.

And of course, I also want to thank to those have reviewed as a guest; it's a shame I can't reply directly to every one of those lovely reviews. Nevertheless, your support and kind words have reached me and inspired me greatly to continue on writing!

If you have the time, please do correct the mistakes of my writings, if you see any. Constructive criticism is always appreciated to help me improvise as an author who is still considerably new at this.

Audy Ruki

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><p>Edited: I changed Jiraiya's proper honorifics from sensei (teacher) to shishou (master) for Naruto.<p> 


	3. Chapter Two - By Chance

_._

_Disclaimer: The characters, the settings and any other content of Naruto used in this story belong to the original author, Kishimoto Masashi. The writing, plot, original characters and additional details of this story belong to me; thus, shall not be reposted and publicised elsewhere without my expressed permission._

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><p>Chapter Two – By Chance<p>

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><p>"Thank you for your stay here at our inn, young miss."<p>

She nodded and smiled at the elderly maid bowing at her in the narrow hallway. Having been dismissed, the elderly maid proceeded into the now vacant room, knelt on the tatami mats and slid the door shut.

The other female left in the hallway shifted on her feet and readjusted the pack on her hip. She stretched her arms behind her back, rolled her shoulders and popped her knuckles. The nights she'd spent on the thin futon mattress had not helped much in bringing relief to her stiff muscles and tense back from all the travelling she had done in the past week.

Tugging a little on the hem of her kimono jacket, the worn, wooden floorboards creaked in protest as she walked along the hallway, turned around a corner and made her way over a flight of stairs leading downward to the ground floor.

She passed through the short distance across the threshold and over to the counter, grimacing in displeasure at the puffs of smoke and the strong, acrid smell of tobacco that floated up to her nose. An older man that was probably consisted more of skin and bones rather than flesh sat slumped behind the counter, tuffs of thinned greyed hair barely visible on his head. In his hand she found the cause of her distaste; a wooden pipe with burned tobacco inside was held by two wrinkled fingers, while his other hand loosely held an empty sake bottle by its neck. Even with the support of the wall behind him keeping him somewhat upright, she thought he looked as if life itself was drifting out of him. Or, to be exact, looking very much wasted. In the middle of the day.

Waving her hand in front of her in a vain attempt to move the smoke away from her, she coughed a little and cleared her throat to get the older man's attention. The man twitched a little before he continued to roll his head sideways, often muttering bits of incomprehensible nonsense. Kami, help the man; _he was as high as kite_!

"Excuse me, sir," she tried again, only to receive another string of gibberish words that came out more like a groan as a form of response.

Highly irritated now, her brows narrowed further as she propped her hand on her hip. She fisted the other hand close to her mouth and purposely cleared her throat again; this time far less subtle in gaining the man's attention.

"_AH-HEM!"_

The man jolted from his inebriated state for a moment, though he did not rise from his slumped position at the wall. When he had somewhat regained his balance after a few moments, he slowly tilted his head upwards, and squinted quizzically at the haughty younger woman standing in front of him, as if he could not place the image presented before him. He blinked, and mumbled almost incoherently, "...Can I help you, miss?"

With an exasperated sigh, she took out her pouch and placed a _ryō_ note along with three bronze coins on the scratchy countertop.

"Here's the other half pay for the night."

"...Ah... M'thanks..." The man slurred, and carelessly tossed the money into a small box behind the counter without even bothering to snap the lid shut. He was in such a hopeless state she was certain he wouldn't even know if she had paid him with a plain piece of paper and pebble stones instead.

The man then drifted off back to his previous state of semi-consciousness, leaving her to own devices. Shrugging, she rolled her eyes, and left the counter. She wouldn't be surprised if he did not wake up from his little 'nap' before evening, given the terrible state that he was in. She walked to the entrance, and stepped down to the gravelly sidewalk outdoors. She inhaled in the fresh air outside, grateful for the better change than the stuffy, stale air inside the inn.

It had been two days since her arrival at the trading centre town of Ishitani-machi, and the first thing she did as soon as she stepped through the eastern gates was to find the nearest, cheapest inn available around. Truly exhausted to the bones, she did not care much at the time for the poor state of the chosen inn, as she had simply paid the first half of the inn's fees, went up to her room and plopped down on the futon mattress, barely remembering to put down her packs and shrug her cloak away in the process.

The inn was a shabby one; she could tell it from just one glance at the exterior of the worn, two-floored building. The condition of the interior was in an even more sorry state than the former, as it was poorly maintained, with layers of dust covering the surface of the unpolished floorboards, and thick cobwebs hung from the corners of the ceilings. Her room was in no better shape, either, with stiff futon mattress that had hardly even provided enough comfort for her, and the mouldy tatami mats covered with dark, widely spread marks of... whatever those marks were supposed to be. Aside from that, she also had been having a hard time getting into a peaceful slumber during her stay here, as the walls were so thin she could hear the other tenants in the next room lost in the heat of their... _passionate endeavours_ that had lasted late into the night.

Indeed, the inn was definitely awful to most, but she was not one to complain. She had been through hardships often enough that a thin futon mattress was much more favourable – even considered a _privilege_, in her case – than other places she had spent her nights in before. And it was not like she was not used to dealing with many a sleepless nights before. It was good enough, as long as she got a roof above her head and a dry, _clean_ ground to lie on.

Well, that, and her spare savings were nearing their limit, anyway.

She stepped out into the open sidewalk, and took into her surroundings. It had been a few hours since daybreak, and the avenue and interconnecting districts were already filled with locals and traders alike. Beautiful young wives of particularly rich merchants draped in exquisite silk robes sat in their rickshaws, some with folding fans covering parts of their painted faces. A well-built man stood behind a horse cart, supervising two younger man unloading goods and crates from the cart. A handful of hired armed mercenaries and samurais could also be seen accompanying the more wealthy of the crowd. It was mid-autumn, so the trading was at its peak with all the supplies needed for the incoming winter.

She weaved her way around other people easily, her movements more fluid and unhindered, having been lose the heavy cloak and cloth mask to be replaced with a simple, plain kimono robe, along with a brown scarf wrapped around her neck and shoulders to keep the heat in. Her mane of rosette locks were covered mostly beneath a square of cloth folded into a triangular shape, placed on the top of her head and tied at the back near the base of her neck, leaving the unbound fringes to fall across her eyes and temples.

She strolled around the avenue, occasionally stopping by a few shops to buy more rations and a stick of dango, along with a small sack of nuts and dried fruits. The leather water container was filled up to its brim with the fresh springwater at a well in the town square.

It was a quarter before noon, as she crossed a wide, arched bridge when the smell of the alluringly delicious soba noodles cooked in an open kitchen nearby to her left drifted off and wafted through her nose.

She turned her head to the left and noticed the sign of the noodle stand. Her mouth watered and her stomach grumbled at the thoughts of steaming dish of freshly cooked noodles, accompanied by the rich aroma of spices left in its wake. She had been having simple buns and plain teas since she came to this town, and even worse than those in the days before. Come to think of it, she couldn't really remember when was the last time she'd actually allowed herself to enjoy a proper meal.

_Well, it couldn't hurt to treat myself to a nice bowl of soba once in a while..._

She made her way over to the stand and ducked under the flaps in the front. It was still a bit early for lunch, so the seats were mostly available to occupy. She took a seat on the bench at the end of the counter.

Noticing the new customer, the elderly cook behind the counter smiled kindly at her and greeted.

"Good day, lass! What do you have in mind for a meal here?"

She smiled back tentatively, somewhat a bit unsure on how to respond properly to the older man's warm greeting. "I'll have whatever your signature dish is, sir. I'm sure I will enjoy it."

The cook laughed merrily, shaking his head a little. "I'm sure you will, young lass! It'll be ready in just a few moments." With that, he turned his back to her and set to work.

She looked around the shop, and immediately spotted the other two remaining men inside the stand, both of them deep in conversation just a bench away from her. Three bottles of sake – of which two of them were already emptied out – were placed haphazardly across the countertop near the older of the two's side. From the corner of her eyes, she could easily tell he was already more than just halfway drunk, if the tell tale signs of the sluggish movements and the stench of alcohol emanated from him were any indication. Really, did _everyone_ in this town have made it a daily habit to get tanked before noon?

And on top of it all, these men were talking in such a serious manner it differed them completely from the merry bustling of other people in town. Even with their hushed tone, she could almost clearly hear them within the calm interior of the stand. Her interest mildly piqued at the serious, solemn air surrounding them, – in direct contrast to the loud, lively activities outside – she feigned ignorance by resting her chin on her hand propped on top of the counter and casually listened in.

"...It's getting worse out there, does it not?"

"...Yeah. I heard from my daughter back home news of it. They have advanced west to as far as to the borders of the Sand Country. Dunno bout the truth of it, tho'." The older of the two, with greyed hair and beard slurred.

"You heard right. It doesn't help that the other big nations are not uniting to fix it up."

His older companion merely laughed, as if his friend had just told him a clever joke."Hah! You expect the _head daimyōs_ to be so _gracious_ as to clear this mess up?"He scoffed_. _"Those self-righteous _gluttons_! They will only take action _when_ and_ if_ they see it fit to their own personal benefits. And whatever the consequences were made by these feudal lords – especially by _that_ tyrant– the brunt of the impact was left to fell on us villagers..."

The younger man was immediately alarmed by the man's outburst, and quickly leaned his lowered head forward. "_Mind_ your words, Tazuna-san. There are eyes and ears all over the place, even as far as here in the Bird Country. You'll never know who's going to turn you in," he warningly hissed.

"What, are you telling me that you have become one of their _dogs_ now, Furuma?"Tazuna spat out with obvious contempt.

"Of course _not_. I'm merely concerned, is all." He sighed at Tazuna's bluntness, and wisely chose to let the matter slide. Instead, he diverted the course of their conversation. "Anyway, how is Tazuna-san's work with the Ōkawa estate?"

The older man grunted, apparently unfazed by Furuma's sudden change of subject. "It's goin' well. The foundation of the base needs a lil' bit more reinforcing. And the addition to the main house – the north wing – is still under construction. It should be finished by the end of the month–"

"One special kitsune soba with fried tofu dipped in homemade soy sauce, ready to serve!"

She was jolted back to attention as the elderly cook then placed a bowl of freshly cooked, steaming soba noodles with row of deep fried tofu was arranged in a neat order on top in front of her, joined soon afterwards by a cup of hot tea and a pair of wooden chopsticks. She thanked the cook, snapped the chopsticks apart and started to dig eagerly into her meal. Her mouth watered at the delicious aroma of spices and mixed ingredients that made up the sweet, salty, gingery broth of the special menu in front of her.

She was just about to leave the man to the privacy of their conversation – concluding that their talk held nothing much of importance to her, anyway – and enjoy her lunch instead, when a particular subject mentioned by the older man caught her attention.

"That sounds good."

"Indeed it is. They pay handsomely enough, I mean." Tazuna agreed.

The hand with the chopsticks holding a portion of her meal stopped midway to her parted mouth.

The men, completely oblivious to the keen scrutiny of their exchange of the youth seated next to them, never noticed the slight twitching of said youth's hand and the perking up of her eavesdropping ears at the mention of the pay. Discreetly, she shifted the weight of her body sideways, and leaned in ever so slightly towards them, gaining better access for information flowing out of the two unwitting men.

"Isn't the estate a little off away from the main town? I thought rich lords like this one would prefer his property – the symbol of his status – to be out in the open, where commoners like us could gawk upon." Furuma asked with a hint of bitterness to his voice.

"Perhaps, but the estate was built on heritage land; he wouldn't budge from there anytime soon, even if it was located deeper in the woods than most other lesser estates." Tazuna replied, and paused for a moment to fill his cup full with more sake. "His fort was built on a hilltop, anyway. It still got the advantages of a vantage point of view from its position."

"I see."

"And Lord Nobugaki ain't no petty man; even with his title as a lesser _daimyō_, I can see the town is prospering well under his hands."

"Hm. Wait until the dictating claws of _that_ clan came upon this place, however."

"Yeah, wait 'til that happens..." Tazuna chugged down on the remaining sake in his cup in one gulp, grimacing at the sharp, bitter taste of alcohol that came soon after. "Doesn't matter, tho'." He hiccupped. "S'long as I can keep my grandson well-fed and clothed, I ain't complainin'." He slurred so badly it almost sounded like nonsense gibberish to her perceptive ears.

"Ah, right. How is that young, little Inari?"

"That brat's fine, reckless as ever – as young things tend to be – tho' ain't so lil' no more..."

The rest of the conversation was lost to her, as she replayed the pieces of information gathered from her silent observation on their talk. She absently picked and prodded on her food with the chopsticks while keeping her face carefully blank as she silently contemplated. After a few moments, she resumed her eating, but with much slower movements and even less enthusiasm than before, as her mind thought back to the mention of this Ōkawa estate, and the meagre savings she had left.

She reached for her pouch, unbound the strings and inspected its contents. _Not much left_, she thought with a slight frown. A gold coin, three silver ones and a couple of _ryō_ notes; just about enough to pay for her lunch, along with some more basic rations to last her less than a couple of days.

Maybe she just need to make one_ little short stop_ at a _certain _estate before she set out and left the town...

She pulled out two of the remaining silver coins and left them on the table beside the now-empty porcelain bowl. With a sigh, she retied the strings of the pouch and slipped it back into her sleeve. All the while, her mind raced as she inwardly laid out her next plans. Turning her head over her shoulder, she narrowed her eyes at the fabric flaps of the entrance and the rays of bright light filtered in through the open slits.

Well, then, she would just have to ask around and do some more _intelligence gathering,_ and maybe even spend some time at her leisure as she waited for the hours before nightfall.

A quick dip to the bathhouse at the opposite district sounded just lovely to her at that moment.

Satisfied with her plan, she nodded a little to herself and rose from her seat to leave.

* * *

><p>"Alright! I'm <em>finally<em> here!"

The sun was already descending low on the western horizon, fiery red streaks of the last of the sun's rays trailing its long fingers in the darkening sky, when he passed the stone marking at the side of the road, engraved with the clear characters of the Ishitani-machi town.

The town's name certainly suited it. He'd had a hard time of getting around the steep cliffs encompassing the small trading settlement. Even with the guidance of the map provided by Jiraiya had not been much of a help for him as well. The scrawling on the map was so faint and confusing – rendering it nearly indistinguishable – he had more than one time taken on the wrong turns and forced to make a detour along the main road. The fact that the sky was pouring down nearly on daily basis and further slowing him down certainly did _not_ help him in this matter altogether.

And, by Kami, whoever had drawn – more like carelessly _scrawled_ down, really – the cursed map should never, _ever_ get appointed as a navigator in all cases. Any group of men unlucky enough to be led by his or her navigation would surely had lost their way long before they reach their destination; that is if the enemy and opposing elements didn't get to them first.

He had wondered briefly if Jiraiya had purposely done that, which had caused his jaw to tick irritably– he could already imagine that old toad chortling in glee with a cup of sake in one hand, and a dirty book in the other.

"Perverted Ero-sennin, you'd better come up with real trainings back home, with all these craps I got to go through..." he grumbled, before he shuddered in the sudden blast of chilly evening breeze. He shrugged closer into his travelling _haori_ and inspected the town with narrowed eyes; small, flickering lights of lanterns and little dots of oil lamps clearly visible to his eyes from this distance. Adjusting the woven straw travelling hat _jingasa_ a little, he estimated about a little more than half a mile to reach the town's gates, and strode away along the road towards the town.

When he reached the northern entrance and passed through the wooden gates, Naruto strolled around the town in a more relaxed pace. A few civilians bowed to him in respect as he passed by them, in which he smiled and nodded back to them in acknowledgement, catching the more edgy ones unexpectedly off guard with his casually laid-back manner.

He took a seat on top of a narrow stone wall at the edge of the town square for a brief respite after he had properly washed after himself up at a local bathhouse and put on a set of clean clothes – well, it wasn't like he would really mind it, but he _did _have to look at least decently presentable if he was going to see this Lord Nobugaki in person. Showing up in that man's face, travel-worn with mud covering the surface of his bearskin boots would not leave a nice first impression.

Taking a long sip from the container, he planned his next route as his free hand unfolded the small map from the inside of a fold in his sleeve. Blue eyes skimmed over the map, before they narrowed in annoyance as he recalled the map's unreliability. He stood up and decided to follow through Jiraiya's directions instead.

He looked around, and located three main routes from three different angles. From his angle, the sun had set on his left side, which made the route directly in front of him as the north route. The other two on his left and right side should be the west route and east route respectively._ Alright_, that done, now he just had to go with the correct route leading to that estate, which would be...

With his chin held in his thumb and forefinger, he contemplated. "Let's see... err... I _think _I should go to the east route. Yeah, that's right." He started to turn but faltered in his steps, uncertainty made him to look back towards the opposite route. "Or... was it the other way around?

Confused now, Naruto let out a huge, weary sigh and tried to remember Jiraiya's words before he left for Bird Country.

"Alright, now, lemme think... Ero-sennin said that from this town's square, I should take the... ah, um..." He scratched his head and grimaced as he thought hard.

That old pervert told him that it would be an hour distance on foot from that point on; that much he could remember. But _damn it_, he was _never_ good at remembering such details! He cursed under his breath. Just which route was it again?

"Hey, you lost?"

Naruto swivelled his head around at the new voice addressing him from behind. A greyed man in his late 50s, with a beard and a hand cloth hung over his shoulders stood there, capping the sake bottle in his hand with a cork using his free hand. A faint tint of pink splotched over his weathered face, his slightly glazed eyes staring unfocusedly at the young man before him.

"Ah... yeah, kind of. I just can't remember the directions..." he trailed off, sounding sheepish.

"Yeah, them kids always do," the man slurred. "Maybe I could lend a lil' help? Just wherever are you heading off to, boy?"

Naruto pursed his lips at the man's address of him. "I'm not too much of a kid, you know!"

"Uh-huh. Maybe, maybe not. You like kinda young to me, boy." And was that kid sprouting off another head now? He shook his head to clear his vision.

"Or maybe you're just too drunk to tell the difference of age, anyway, old man," Naruto retorted. With a sigh, he pondered the drunken man's offer to help. Could he trust this guy's directions? He looked ready to fall off to the ground at any given second now. _But, still..._ There weren't many people out and around the area now, so he might just try his luck with this old man. "I'm looking for the way to Lord Nobugaki's place. Do you know how to get there, geezer?"

"Why, yes I do. Imma contract builder there. " He bobbed his head towards the main west route on their right. "The Ōkawa estate is up ahead that way. It's a lil off ways uphill in the woods, tho'." He squinted at the moonlit dusk sky and muttered under his breath, "Guess I did got a bit carried 'way 'ere..."

"Ah, that's right! The west route! That's what Ero-sennin told me!" Naruto exclaimed, thumping his fist on his open palm. "Thanks, old man!"

"Whatever, kid. I shoulda been headin' there by now, too, actually..." He hiccupped, and wobbled on his feet; rapidly losing his consciousness. He staggered forward just in time for Naruto to caught his unconscious body.

"Hey, hey! Don't go blacking out on me just like that, old man!" He peered down on the man's face, already snoring and mumbling in his drunken stupor. Naruto rolled his eyes, and sighed for the what felt like the hundredth time that day. _Geez,_ _I guess there's no helping it_, he thought, shifting the older man's weight on him as he hefted him up over his shoulder, all the while grumbling as he headed to the west route.

"Just don't puke on me, old man, or I'm gonna dump you on the roadside."

He realized that his travel to this Lord Nobugaki's estate was more trouble than it worth.

* * *

><p><em>Now... <em>

_If I was a rich daimyō lord..._

_Just _where_ in the _world_ would I keep my precious belongings in this estate?_

The thoughts kept floating up her mind while she rummaged through the darkened room as fast and as discreetly as she could manage. With her senses constantly on high alert to the slightest sign of anything that might give her away, along with the time already flying pass since her arrival here, her frustration at not finding a single thing worth for her keep was already teetering on the edge of breaking point.

With gritted teeth, her eyes briefly inspected the contents of an ornamented wooden box on a low table. Not bothering to remain undetected for the time being, she groaned out in frustration at the yet _another_ useless pieces of documental scrolls arranged neatly inside the box. For heaven's sake, she swore that the _daimyō_ lord was apparently very much lacking in the sense of aesthetics he'd decided to dump in some insignificant, _boring_ scrolls into a lovely piece of jewellery case instead.

Swivelling her head around her shoulder to check her surrounding, she mentally calculated the time already spent fruitlessly in her search here. She had been to another three rooms earlier before this particular one with each and every one of them bearing the same results. She could not waste any time further on another chamber. The rest of the time allocated in this... _endeavour_, ought to be used for a safe escape. And it did not help that despite the considerably small size of an estate this _daimyō_ owned, the layout of the land was so confusing it took her more time locating the chamber keeps – _oh, and the main kitchen too, of course_ – than the time she'd spent on scaling the steep stone walls at the base of the hilltop estate.

She was pleasantly surprised at the security lax at the main compound after her initial infiltration remained successfully unnoticed. Even under the cover of her dark clothing and the dim light of a quarter of a moon that night, she had expected to have at least a group of maid or retainer within her sight, loitering around the place with their respective duties. But aside from a young maid whom had barely dismissed her presence in the shadows as a trick of her eyes in the darkness, so far she had encountered with close to none.

Well, maybe it was just that luck had decided to turn on her good side that day.

_Hah_, she snorted at her own musings. Maybe the men of the household were just having the time of their lives drinking the night away with the company of a few local geisha. And the skills she had attained from Nee-chan had been more than proficient, too, a testament to the exceptional expertise in the art of infiltration of the woman she had come to respect and rely on as the only person who had taken her under her wing in her earlier, stray years.

A sense of heaviness settled in her chest, her hand unconsciously grazing the hilt of her treasured kunai on her thigh as her musings took a turn to a more pensive reminisce...

_Nee-chan..._

* * *

><p>"<em>That's not how you climb a wall, dummy!"<em>

_She fell down from the vertical stone wall and landed on the ground below with a thump, joined by the dull thud of the _kaginawa_ beside her a second later._

_A woman stood by a few paces away from her. She smacked her lips and admonished, "Che, that ain't a good one, girl! You're not doing it right!"_

_The younger girl rubbed her sore back as she scrambled to her feet. With pursed lips, she murmured, "You made it sound as if it is so easy..."_

"_It _is_ easy. How else can you infiltrate a fort without having to sneak through the front gates?" She crossed her arms. "Given my former vocation and your current position, we got to make a simple wall scaling easy for us," she said, eyeing the girl meaningfully._

"_Is it really important for me to learn this? We can always look for another way around a building, right?" She paused, and widened her eyes incredulously. "And we're not going to break into a _fort_, aren't we? We're just gonna... uh..." she fidgeted, obviously disquieted with voicing the idea out loud, "Um... we'll _only_ sneak into warehouses, barns and maybe a few houses for food and some money... right?"_

_The woman only laughed in response. "That's true, but it can never hurt to be well-prepared in any situation. Plus, who knows we might come upon some wealthy figures' big estate? Might wanna 'loan' some money off from them rich fellas." She wiggled her eyebrows. Then, in a more subdued tone, she continued, "I know it doesn't sit too well for you now, girl, but you'd do best to remind yourself to remember this: we are survivors. I think those words alone speak of the circumstances we must undergo, whether we like it or not, don't you think?" Her narrowed dark eyes focused intently on the girl's green ones, clearly expecting an affirmation._

_With stiff lips and downcast eyes, she reluctantly nodded. "Yeah... I guess." _

_The older of the two hold her gaze for a moment longer, before she decided to let the matter be. _For now_. "Good." The woman straightened and walked over to her, gathering the grappling hook from the ground. "Now listen, girl. Before you throw the _kaginawa_, make sure you swing it around first to gain enough momentum. Watch," she instructed._

_Inserting the round metal ring into one of her wrists, she started to swing the cord attached to the metal ring and iron hook on each ends, rapidly gaining speed as the hook blurred in movement. In one sudden motion, she jerked her hand with enough force and precision to throw the hook up and beyond the wall. As soon as the hook descended down just past the top of the wall, she jerked the cord towards her, making the cord strained and rigid, ready to be climbed on. _

_She stepped on the vertical wall with one leg, turning towards the girl. "See? You need to give it more force in your rotation." Then she grinned with mischief. "Or else the iron hook will lose its grip and fall on your large forehead instead, silly."_

_Seeing the girl's keen observation turned into a self-conscious pout, the tall woman snickered and released her hold on the kaginawa. She leaned over the girl and flicked a finger to her forehead._

"_Ow! What was that for?!"_

"_Stop looking so adorably cute pouting like that and start working on your skills, lil' brat!" She barked, but not without the unmistakable hint of affection in her eyes and beneath the harsh tone. "That is, if you wanna get a little treat of dango, afterwards."_

_At the mention of the sweet dumplings – a treat favoured highly by both of them – the girl instantly brightened and complied eagerly._

"_I understand! I'll do my best, Nee-chan!"_

* * *

><p>Her eyes gleamed with unshed tears in the reflection of the dim moonlight filtered through the narrow slit between the sliding doors. She clenched her hand around the jewellery box in a tight grip, turning her knuckles white.<p>

_It might take me some time, but... I will avenge you... and be worthy of your forgiveness... for my faults..._

_I swear..._

With measured movements, she woodenly lowered the lid of the open jewellery box close; shutting away the memories conjured up in her mind's eye as she did so. She blinked away the pooling moisture in her eyes and cleared up her blurry vision. With a deep breath, she willed the brief emotional wash of dreary tribulation away, and refocused back to the task at hand.

If she was ever going to keep up to her oath, she was definitely not going to have the words '_caught and executed_' in her list. And as far as her luck had gotten her until now, things were not looking so bad for her right now, yet.

_Whatever the case was, let's not jinx it._

As she pushed the jewellery box back to its original position at the end of the low table pushed against the wall, her fingers brushed against a smooth surface of a rather simple wooden box, minimally ornamented at the centre of the lid.

_Well, what could _this_ one holds? More useless scrolls, I guess? Or maybe just some folded handkerchiefs..._

Rolling her eyes at the possibility of a vain attempt in finding something worth even a piece of gold coin, she carelessly flicked the lid of the box aside. As her eyes found purchase of its contents, her disinterested gaze widen imperceptibly.

In the dim moonlight, she could barely discern the outlines of a delicate, finely decorated wooden hair comb placed on top of the satin cushion. With its semi-circular shape and polished teeth coated with jet black lacquer, painted with such fine details of flying cranes in gold tints and red paint, such lovely piece of antique hair ornament would surely put on an equally pretty price on its label. She noticed a small silk pouch on its side, and felt a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. As she held up the pouch for her to see in better light, the unmistakable sound of small, round metals clinking from within the pouch set her eyes alight as she smirked in satisfaction.

_Found them. _

She'd admit that was a pretty smart move on her victim's part to hide away his pricey belongings in something so unsuspecting such as this. Though she definitely suspected that the_ daimyō_ had more than just a handful of gold coins in a silk pouch, she was certainly not going to go and look for it. The contents of this small silk pouch alone were more than enough to keep her off from having to conduct another act of stealing for at least another week, if she used them sparingly.

She tossed the pouch into the air and caught it back with one hand, silently muttering words of gratitude to whatever force of godly power that had been gracious enough for her that night. Considering its light weight and size, she could tell that the amount worth of money inside the pouch was not much – not the most she had ever successfully stolen from before this night – but it would do for now. She'd definitely be happier to leave this place with something in her hands – or rather hidden pockets and sleeves, in her case – rather than going back empty-handed.

Placing the pouch into her sleeve, she grinned at her supposed success in this particular thievery, but it was short-lived when the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the silent spaces from across the hallway beyond the sliding doors. Her mind went immediately on edge, her muscles reflexively tensed in alarm. She swiftly pocketed the hair ornament into her other sleeve, and darted to the doors separating the outer courtyard on her left.

_Time to go. _

She had slipped through the doors just in time for a maid to slid open the main sliding door across the chamber. Unfortunately, the maid had caught a glimpse of her silently retreating silhouette beyond the paper doors. Immediately, the maid cried out in alarm. The thief winced at the shrill tone and the consequences that would follow soon after. She cursed long and harsh at being discovered, and rushed along the shadowed pathway of the outer courtyard.

Raised voices and hurried footsteps were soon heard, joining the area of the chamber from various directions. Not long after, lanterns and lit torch were moving around in the dark in search for the culprit responsible for the assumed act of thievery.

Thinking quickly, she moved closer to the walls and scanned the area around her. Crouched between the bark of a maple tree and a separating wall, she thought of the old man Tazuna's words at the noodle stand and of her contingency plan planned ahead earlier before.

_...The foundation of the base needs more reinforcing... And the addition to the main house – the north wing – is still under construction..._

_That's it._ She could raise the chance of losing the searching men within the cover of almost complete darkness of the unlit area and the disarrayed mess of the still incomplete wing. And that particular wing was also the closest one to the walls separating the estate from the thick woods up north.

With a little nod to herself, she swiftly made her way through turns and corners, all the while keeping her body seemingly as small as she could and as fast as she could possibly manage without attracting too much attention. In a matter of minutes, she'd reached the north wing successfully without directly encountering with any guards or samurai. As she stepped on the wooden floorboards of a hallway, however, a high-pitched sound was clearly heard through the floorboards from the pressure, and she froze.

_Damn it, they've installed nightingale floor at this section? _

A shout was heard from across the opposite household instantly after. "There! I see him! He's in the north wing!"

Her heart lurched to her throat, and panic began to well up from inside. Not bothering to keep herself remaining undetected any longer, she leapt across the darkened, narrow hallway and sped off. When she neared a corner at the end of the hallway, she turned her head over her shoulder as another shout was heard; this time closer to her current position.

She picked up her pace even more and turned back around to turn in the corner, just in time for her eyes to widen at the sudden appearance of someone standing there right in front of her.

"_Oh, crap –!"_

She skidded to a stop a second too late, as her momentum caused her to slam right to the centre of said person, and they both fell unceremoniously to the floor.

_Guess I ran out of luck this time around, huh... _

When she regained her balance, she clutched her head and tried to relieve the dizziness caused from the impact. She was still feeling a bit lightheaded when she heard a groan coming out from the unfortunate person caught up in her desperate run.

"Watch where you're going, will ya?"

Her gaze travelled upwards, and a strange spark of recognition ignited from within as her green eyes collided with bright, familiar blue ones.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: I <em>really<em> need to stop the impulse to keep on writing and adding even _more_ details to every sentences. When the time is right, I don't know... they just... flowed. I hope this one is not too long for you to read that it got you bored, though it does contains some small, important details. Sorry, but I have to stop this chapter right there. But worry not, things will pick up on the next chapter.

I hope you guys enjoyed it!

Till next time,

Audy Ruki

* * *

><p>More terms to be clarified:<p>

Haori – it's a long sleeved jacket/robe that is usually ankle length. Usually used by samurai or even commoners during their travels, or in cold weather.

Ryō – The currency used during the Kamakura period. It's supposed to be gold coins, but I referred to them as notes instead. It's because as I researched about the currency used prior to the Meiji restoration, the constant change in value and currency is too confusing, and hard to fit in with this story. Let's just refer the value of one ryō to be equivalent to ten dollars, instead. I forgot to mention this in the last chapter.

Bushi – another thing I failed to remember mentioning before. _Bushi_ literally means 'warrior', another similar word used for the more modern, commonly-known term of samurai.

_-machi_ – a suffix used at the end of any name of a town (but not to a city).

Jingasa – a wide, cone-shaped hat commonly worn by samurai retainers and ashigaru while travelling. It could be made of woven straw, leather or iron (iron ones usually worn during a war/battle).

Kitsune soba – Soba (wheat noodles) served with broth and deep fried tofu on top, just as described earlier. It literally means 'fox noodles' *wink wink*, as it is believed that fox spirits got a knack for fried tofu.

Nightingale floors – a special kind of floorboards commonly used in samurais/feudal lords' households to detect the presence of anyone walking around them. A sharp, whistle-like sound will be produced in each step taken on the floorboards.

Daimyō – a feudal lord, and usually either from a samurai clan himself or with hired/adopted samurai clans as his retainers. But in this story, I tweaked around a bit of this information. You see, in reality, these feudal lords could gain their title as either a warlord, a clan leader (usually associated with the former), or a lord owning a great deal of land. I will be using this bit of term to my story, but with an additional rank to them. The term 'Kage' will not be used here, as they will be referred to as 'head daimyō', leading/overpowering other lesser daimyō within each respective nation. And these head daimyos are second only to the ruling Shōgun – a head daimyo himself, from within the circle of this rank. And of course, there will be countless of lesser daimyō present, though they will not necessarily play an important role in this story.


	4. Chapter Three - Thief and Mischief

_._

Edited Note (6/11/2014) : I'm so, so sorry that I've completely forgotten to edit some things here in this chapter before, most noticeably the partition line between the different parts of the story. I've corrected a few errors here and there as well, but I'm sure there is more in the story that I have regrettably overlooked. It is quite difficult after all to have another/multiple once over for a chapter that exceeds 12,000 word count, after all.

Now, that done, please go ahead and enjoy the story.

* * *

><p><em>Disclaimer: The characters, the settings and any other content of Naruto used in this story belong to the original author, Kishimoto Masashi. The writing, plot, original characters and additional details of this story belong to me; thus, shall not be reposted and publicized elsewhere without my expressed permission.<em>

* * *

><p>Chapter Three – Thief and Mischief<p>

* * *

><p>It was a cold night, with chilly air of the steep hills trapped around the valley further cooling the atmosphere as the dusk gradually slipped away to nightfall. The droplets of rain from earlier that day clung to the edges of leaves, wooden branches and trees lining the sides of the road. The sun had long since disappeared over the western horizon, giving way to the light of the moon to illuminate the land in its soft glow. Silver beams of light filtered through the gaps of the foliage from up above, an echoing sound of the crickets and occasional twittering of the birds from the corners of the forest set the surroundings into a state of peaceful serenity.<p>

All save for the stomping and the constant string of grumbled curses of one decidedly grouchy Uzumaki Naruto.

"Goddamn it, geezer, you're a _lot_ heavier than you look…" muttered him, kicking a random stone out of his way on the road to the side. The ground littered with dried, golden leaves and small pebbles scrunched under the weight of his every step.

He paused in his walk – _stomping_, to be precise – and hefted the slouched additional weight slung across one shoulder up as he huffed. He was starting to regret on deciding to carry the man along with him. He should just haul him over to the nearest inn and be on his way after. He was already spent on his four days' journey all the way from Uzushiogakure, and even with a brief respite at the town's square, he was definitely not well-rested enough. His back was stiff, his fingers numbed with cold and he thought that his feet could use a little bit of a nice, warm massage right about now. And just he got to make it all worse by adding an _extra little passenger_ gloriously carried over his poor, sore shoulder – with a bonus kink to his neck – for almost _two_ hours already.

Really, now, he was already well behind the schedule locating the town in the first place, courtesy of the blessed little map, thank you very much. Now he was even _further_ delayed by at least an hour trudging through the forest and along the road with this drunken geezer slowing him down. The only credit to this old man was that he had not yet spilled his guts – or _sake_, in his case – all over him, or else he would be sorely tempted to make good of his threat earlier; that was to just leave the man on the road side and hope for the best of whatever fate to befall him.

Naruto scoffed, and a smirk grew on his face. It was highly unlikely he would actually have the heart to do so to the poor drunkard ignorant to the younger man's musings, though he'd admit that entertaining such thoughts was doing a good job at lifting up his spirits considerably. He snickered at the image of an unmoving messy lump of an old drunk, stunk of sake and vomit, laying face-first on the dirt ground in the middle of the road, muttering gibberish crap and scaring the hell out of unfortunate traders and villagers passing by. Maybe he would add a bit more doodles on the man's brows and moustache – and maybe some emphasizing on his dark eye bags, too – using some black and red inks, just for the fun of it.

Yup, that would be a fun sight to see, indeed. Serves the man right, collapsing on him – right after mentioning his ties to Lord Nobugaki, on top of it all – at nightfall when he was expected to be on his way back to the estate. And what was he thinking, getting tanked the whole day, he assumed, with no one entrusted to look after him all the while and afterwards?

"Huh, you called me a kid, geezer, but _you're_ the one who acted so irresponsibly here," Naruto sighed, just as he was about to reach a fork in the path ahead of him.

He reached over with his free hand to unfold his map. Despite its proven unreliability for the most part of the journey, the directions were clear enough for him to make out even in this dim moonlit night. His eyes scanned across the sketchy lines and childish scribbles. He could see from the map – along with Jiraiya's directions from earlier – of his next route from here should be on the left. He looked over to the left fork, and focused his eyes to see the faint glint of lit lanterns up ahead, barely discernible from this distance.

"Alright, geezer, we're almost there," he said to the unconscious man, patting him on his broad back.

Readjusting the man and the pack slung over his other shoulder, Naruto briskly made his way along the path gently sloping up towards the estate. He could already see the faint silhouette of a few men at the front gates, flanking the entrance on both sides with lit wooden torches. He picked up his pace, mentally engaged with an internal monologue.

_Just a little bit more… First I'm gonna dump this geezer to them, then I'll hand over Ero-sennin's scroll to their lord, and maybe he won't be too stingy to offer a nice dinner… preferably ramen… or maybe just a steamed bun or two… but, oh well, feudal lords these days are so cheap anyways, so I guess I'll just put up with anything he offers to me… that is if he even so wishes to offer _anything_ in the first place…_

Lost in his thoughts, Naruto barely noticed the movement of a figure covered in the shadows near the far end at the base of the fort's stone walls, gradually gaining height as the seconds ticked by. Slowly, he turned his head to the side without stopping in his stride, craning his neck to see better from his current position. He could hardly make out the details over the distance in the darkness.

_What was that?_

Preoccupied with his observation, his foot got caught in a jutting root near the side of the path. Losing his balance, he stumbled forward with a yelp and struggled to regain his footing.

"Whoa – _ah! Geezer!_" he exclaimed, as the older man slipped from his hold, dropping him face-first on the damp dirt path with a solid thump – and stayed still in that position, unmoving.

Horrified, Naruto frantically scrambled over to the older man and turned him over his back. "My bad, geezer! Dammit, are you okay?" Getting no response from the man, he tried again. "H-hey, answer me!" He lightly slapped the side of the man's face and poked on his ribs. How ironic it was, as just a short time ago he was having fun imagining the man somewhat in this situation, and now he was the one gotten scared the living wits out of him in concern for the older man's condition. He felt his guts lurched to his throat. Sweet Kami, what if he was injured somewhere? What if he was not going to wake up? What if the man was _dead _by his own clumsy hands?

Just as he was very, _very_ close on the verge of freaking himself out, the man stirred and mumbled groggily, "Mm… shtop pokin' 'round… tickles…" And with that, he drifted off back to his sleep.

With a long, relieved sigh, he released the pent up breath in his lung and let the tension coiled around him ebb away. _Thank goodness_, he silently prayed his gratitude to the deities for saving him from going around a guilt trip.

Shifting his weight on one knee, he apologized to the prone man on the ground. "Err… sorry about that, geezer. That was careless of me, and, uh…" Scratching his neck, he continued. "You're not mad at me, are you?" Taking the low, lazy grunt from the man as an affirmative, he brightened. "That's great! Let's just put the past behind us, and move on, right?"

When he reached out for the man's torso and hefted him up across his shoulder again, he noticed that the gates were some yards away from them, and he could see two guards moving from their post to them. He turned around to the stone walls again and, with a grimace, saw nothing out of ordinary there. _Must be a trick of the light… or maybe I'm just too tired I'm starting to hallucinate things, _he thought, shrugging off the matter out of his mind.

As Naruto covered the short distance between him and the guards, one of the guards took on a steady stance and stopped his further advance towards them. "Halt! Who goes there?" demanded the guard, eyeing him suspiciously.

Naruto straightened his back and faced the guards, remembering Jiraiya's teachings to never reveal his real identity and true purpose until he had made sure that he was contacting with the right people and arrived at the right place he was supposed to be. Thus, he responded back to the guard with a question. "Sorry to bother you, sir, but this is Lord Nobugaki's place, isn't it?"

The guard's eyes narrowed further. "State your business with our lord, boy."

He pursed his lips to stop the loud and possibly rude retort to the guard's address of him. Instead, he answered tartly. "I got a message from my master to your lord, guard-san."

"Then just hand it over to us and we'll take it from there."

"Nope, that won't do. I got a clear instruction from my master to hand it over to Lord Nobugaki personally." Well, that wasn't entirely true, but he did not trust these stubborn guards to carry the message scroll to their master. As tired as he was due to the long journey days before, he'd like to see and done his mission with his own eyes.

Apparently one of the guards did not seem to be inclined to agree with him. "Damn brats these days never listen, huh?" he sneered. "Listen up, _brat_. Leave the message here, or _else_."

Naruto gritted his teeth and eyed the guard warily. He'd almost forgotten of the old man slung over his shoulder when the other guard spoke up.

"Kenta-san, isn't that…" he narrowed his eyes and pointed at the slumped man, "Isn't that Tazuna? The builder Nobugaki-sama hired?" He stepped forward with cautious steps, and exclaimed with a mixture of incredulity and concern, "What the hell is he doing out here, knocked up like that?!"

The other guard, Kenta, turned his attention to older man in question, his wide eyes confirming his partner's assessment. Furrowing his dark brows, his persona turned from mildly threatening to outright hostile, taking up a full offensive stance as he started to unsheathe his katana. "_You_! What have you done to him?!"

Stricken with the realization of the guards' assumptions, Naruto hastened to explain in his defense. "W-wait! It's not like what you think it is! You see, I met him back in town –"

He was cut off by the other guard's impatient grunt. "Cease your lies and put him down this instance!" He demanded, as his partner Kenta advanced forward.

Instinctively, Naruto took a few steps back, and gripped his unoccupied hand on the hilt of his katana. _This is not looking good_, he thought grimly. He was just about to curse at this unfortunate outcome, when another voice, deep and commanding, interrupted them from beyond the gate.

"What is with this ruckus?"

Kenta stiffened visibly, halting his movements, and the other guard hastily stood at attention to face the source of the demand. A middle-aged man with shaved head, neatly trimmed beard and lines of wrinkles marking his age on his weathered, stern face stood tall with both of his hands on the handle of his cane. Two more men appeared on his sides, their faces deceptively calm, contradicting their firm stance of seasoned samurai warrior, ready to intercept the fight at any given moment.

"My lord," the guard bowed. "Our apologies. But this boy," he gestured to a scowling Naruto, "claimed to have a message for you, while he carried along with him an unconscious Tazuna-san, hence we cannot help but to be suspicious of him, my lord."

Naruto snorted, and spoke. "Oh, give me a _break. _If there's anyone who is mistreated here, it will be _me_. First by the awful weather Mother Nature's apparently decided to dump on my poor head recently, and then by that drunken geezer, falling off over the kind, unsuspecting _me_ with no one around to take him back here. I'm actually doing him and _you guys_ a gracious _favor_ to haul his ass up all the way here, along to finish my task given by my master." He added with a jerk of his head to the two other guards. "But then, these two knuckleheads refused to let me in and finish it," he finished, earning two glares directed hotly at him.

The man hummed in response, and moved closer to them, his retainers staying close to his side. "I see. Please pardon my fellow men's ill treatment." He turned to Kenta and commanded him to cease his offensive stance. As the guard started to protest, he cut him off mid-sentence.

"Nevertheless, he is but a young man, don't you think? I doubt he will bring us any harm, if that is even his intention in the first place."

"But –"

"And does resorting to immediate violence may solve the matter at hands, Kenta? He might be truly carrying a message for me, and if he is knocked out of commission, how could we know of his true purposes?" he asked pointedly.

Kenta clamped his mouth shut, and reluctantly complied with his superior's orders, sparing a non-too-discreet glower at the direction of Naruto's smug face. With a deep bow, he apologized stiffly, and retrieved Tazuna from Naruto.

"Now, young man." The bald man shifted his attention back to Naruto. "Reveal yourself and your purposes, if you will."

Naruto hesitated at first, before he inwardly shrugged and decided to just go along with it. _Better get this over with before it got the chance to turn for the worse_, he thought.

Taking off the _jingasa _from his head, he bowed before the older man, and answered. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto of the Whirlpool Country, sir. I am here as a disciple of the Ero – err, I mean, Jiraiya of Mount Mōbyoku, sent here by my master to deliver a message scroll for the good Lord Nobugaki of the Bird Country."

"Uzumaki?" the man echoed. With furrowed eyebrows, he observed Naruto's tanned skin and blond hair with intense concentration. Feeling uncomfortable under the man's strange scrutiny, Naruto fidgeted in place and ducked his head lower. Then, the man suddenly asked, "Does your father happens to bear the name of Namikaze?"

"Eh?" Naruto felt his eyes widen in surprise. "Ah, yes sir, he did." _How did he…?_

Then, the man smiled widely, breaking out of his stern countenance as easily as cracking open an egg. He heartily patted Naruto on his shoulder – his poor, _sore_ shoulder – with a laugh, nearly having his knees buckled under the sudden impact. "My, my! Then you must be the son of Jiraiya's first disciple! I knew I wasn't imagining things! Those unmistakable features of him, dear Kami. Oh, how time surely flies!"

It was no surprise then. His father was a famed samurai hailed from the Namikaze clan under the guidance of the legendary_ yamabushi_ Jiraiya himself during his apprenticeship with that old toad. _But this baldy seems to know them personally…_ he inwardly mused, hope beginning to swell inside his chest. Could he have any knowledge of him?

Catching his bemused look, the man chuckled and apologized. "Ah, right. Where are my manners? " He cleared his throat and introduced himself. "You have come to the right place, young Uzumaki. I am Ōkawa Nobugaki, lord of the Ōkawa estate, and a lesser _daimy__ō_ of this region. And do not worry, lad. Any friend of Jiraiya's is a friend of mine as well." He smiled, and gestured eagerly over for Naruto to come along. "Come inside and make yourself comfortable here – we have much to talk over the dinner!"

How could he deny any offer with a promised meal from the other end of the deal? With a wide grin, Naruto saluted and followed him inside through the gates, all thoughts of his father momentarily forgotten in favor for his empty stomach.

"Yes, sir!"

_Well, maybe just this one particular lord is not so stingy after all…_

* * *

><p>The merry laughter from the occupants of the main dining chamber echoed out through the closed sliding doors. Inside the chamber, seated on the floor in front of a dark, wooden low table across each other were two men, one a seasoned warrior clan leader doubled over in his laughter, the other younger one in much of the same condition as the former, with his mouth full of his meal.<p>

Wiping a tear with one calloused finger, the older of the two spoke up. "He's unbelievable. Ero-sennin – is that what you call him? Why is that so, Naruto?"

"That's because that old toad is a big pervert despite his age and the position he claimed as an 'honorable' and 'respectful' mountain hermit."

Nobugaki laughed again, this time even harder than the last one. "It suits him well! Good one, kid. Kami, that man never changes from the last I met him," he said as he shook his head, settling down with a few chuckles.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, as Naruto finished his meals. Then, Nobugaki coughed, and asked, "How is your father faring, Naruto?"

Naruto felt the last of his mirth faded away, as the food in his mouth suddenly tasted bitter and his spirits sunk with disappointment. With visible effort, he forced down the lump in his throat before he answered. "I… I don't really know myself, old man Nobu," he admitted. "I'm actually hoping that you would know something about him better than I do."

The lesser daimyō's eyebrows shot up in bewilderment, uncomprehending the younger man's admittance. With a wary sense of realization, he carefully asked, "What do you mean, Naruto?"

"I…" Naruto cleared his throat, and looked down. "You seem like you know him, so I thought…" He cleared his throat and rephrased his words. "I wanted to know more of what actually happened to him. It's been years, and my mother rarely talks about it, if she even talks about it at all. So…" He scratched his head and smiled a false, cheery grin. "So I just thought that maybe, since you seemed to know my father, that you got something about him! But, well, yeah… I guess, it's my bad…" he trailed off and laughed weakly.

Empathy filled the older man's heart, fully understanding Naruto's disappointment loss. It wasn't uncommon to see the children of a samurai warrior to be orphaned even at their young age. "…I see. I'm sorry that I could not be of much help for you."

Crestfallen, Naruto slowly nodded, hiding his dismay beneath his downcasted eyes. Setting down his rice bowl, he asked, "You've really met my father, then?"

Nobugaki finished his tea before he answered. "I sure did, Naruto. He's Jiraiya's first apprentice before you, after all."

Catching Naruto's curious gaze, he sighed. Apparently the boy had not had much in his knowledge about his father. "Minato was a great man," he started, earning an interested look from Naruto. "Both in his skills and at his heart. I can hardly say that I know him better than Jiraiya or his family did, but I can tell you of his vast potential and leadership even from his earlier age." He stared ahead, picturing the distant past in his mind's eye.

"You sound like you're really familiar with him."

He chuckled. "Why, yes, I suppose you can say that. In my younger days years back, Jiraiya and I were quite close – with a few other peers, we trained together, went on missions and battles together, and rose up in our ranks through time and dedication of our current profession at the time. After some time, Jiraiya then quit from his rank and went into his nomadic life as a yamabushi for years afterwards – for whatever reason that I could only guess on. Despite that, though, when I've retreated myself from the ties of the served clan, and went off to lead my own, Jiraiya still continued to visit me at times."

Nobugaki put down his own cup, and went on. "Jiraiya often took Minato around and brought him along whenever he came to visit, even since his earlier days as a _chūgen_. I helped him in his training of yarijutsu to hone his bow skills during their stay here. He was an exceptional one, you see, and by the time he has reached the Kyūnin level, he was already around here occasionally, helping my men in their training."

Naruto listened to the older man's recollection with rapt attention and interest. Other than the general knowledge of his father's position in the Uzumaki household, he had only heard bits of this and that about his father, either from Jiraiya or his mother – in those rare times that they, especially the latter, felt inclined to talk about it. But still, he may have inherited his mother's facial features, but aside from that, nothing about his appearance possessed the usual Uzumaki traits – particularly his mess of a blond hair. "But… how did you figure it out? I mean, I told you my surname is Uzumaki, so…" he mused.

He laughed. "Well, if there is one more thing I remember about him aside from his exceptional skills, it would certainly be his constant infatuation with a certain Uzumaki beauty." He chuckled. "It was not glaringly obvious, no, but from what I heard from Jiraiya's complaints – Minato always declined his offer to come along to an 'entertainment' every time after each completed missions and battles – and his commitment to one of the Uzumaki clan's heiress, one could only easily deduce the cause. Even I have witnessed such notion with my own eyes one time when I came to visit Jiraiya at the Uzumaki household – and Kami, he would never left her side unguarded at most times. Completely enamored he was." He shook his head.

Naruto couldn't agree more. His mother – he thought with unrestrained pride – was definitely _beautiful_. It was not much of a surprise that nobles and bachelors of great clan houses from most corners of the continent had tried their chance for her hand at the news of her lost husband. They were either shunned away by him or Kushina herself; often resulting with either of them getting in trouble with their clan's elders. They would always share victorious snickers after each successful attempt in their mischievous act of discouraging those men, but he had witnessed the silent tears of hidden grief and longing of his dear mother late into the night when she had thought no one was around.

_If only Father is around…_

He was snapped out of his dark reverie by Nobugaki's tentative question. "What actually happened, Naruto?"

He sighed. "I don't really know myself, old man Nobu." Running his fingers through his short, spiky locks, he rambled on. "All I know is that he's been gone for a long time. Some said that he's dead, but as far as I knew, his body was never recovered back to the house. Heck, I can barely even remember his face. I just hope that…" He scratched his neck, feeling hopeless. "At least she'll have some sort of closure…" he finished weakly.

A heavy silence settled over them, as one mulled over the younger man's words, and the other caught in a sense of hopelessness.

After a few tense moments, Nobugaki spoke up, breaking the prolonged silence. "I believe you have come here to deliver a message for me, yes?"

Grateful for the change of subject to a more pressing matter, Naruto flicked his fingers and nodded. "Ah, that's right!" He dragged his pack closer and rummaged inside, taking out Jiraiya's scroll and handed it over to the lord. "Here it is. And Ero-sennin told me that I should expect a return scroll from you, too."

Nobugaki took the offered scroll in his hands, rolling it open and began to skim over the words written inside, humming thoughtfully as he read. A few minutes passed before he finally snapped the scroll close and called over for his retainer.

The door slid open to reveal a dark-haired samurai kneeling in the hallway with his head slightly bowed in respect. "You called for me, master?"

Nobugaki nodded. "Take this scroll to my private chambers, Saburo." Then, he added, "And get Yuuko-san to come over here as well, will you?"

"Yes, Nobugaki-sama."

They waited for the retainer to leave the room before Nobugaki spoke up. "We may have not been acquainted for long, Naruto, but I can already see the hints of Minato's best qualities in you." He looked at Naruto in the eyes, and smiled kindly. "I wish you well in your search for him."

Moved by the man's words, Naruto felt his eyes stung as his heart swelled with a bittersweet sense of delight and pride. He opened his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by the sound of the door sliding open and a feminine voice greeted them.

"Ah, right."Nobugaki gestured over to the elderly maid standing by for her orders by the open doorway. "Yuuko-san here will lead you to your resting chamber, Naruto. She will manage any of your needs and commodities."

"Eh?" He turned to the maid, and said, "But I thought I won't be staying here…?"

"Nonsense. I'm not having any of that." Nobugaki waved off his feeble attempt to decline his offer. "Like I've said before; any friend of Jiraiya's is a friend of mine as well. Retire here for the night – surely your travels here all the way from another country have exhausted you to the brim, doesn't it? Take a dip to the bathhouse, and eat as you wish. Take this as my way of repaying you for your troubles."

_Well, that actually sounds pretty good_, he thought. How could he refuse it? Jiraiya would have to wait for him for just another day longer. Serves him right for annoying the hell out of him in his last training, too, that old toad.

"Well, I guess I can't help it then…" he grinned sheepishly, inwardly cheering with joy.

The maid bowed and asked for him to follow her. He stopped just before the doorway, and turned to bow deeply at the older man before him.

"Old man Nobu, I… thank you."

A faint smile graced his features, softening the lines of his face. With a single nod, he dismissed them and waved him along.

"Have a good rest, Naruto."

* * *

><p>"Sheesh, they sure are noisy this late at night…"sighed Naruto, tucking his hands into the pocket of his sleeves. <em>Huh, like I'm not one to talk about such a thing<em>, he berated himself with a snort. Well, maybe he _was _noisy in general, but even _he_ had the right mind to keep it down at such ungodly hours like this.

Now that he thought about it…

Where the _hell_ was he again, anyway?

He cursed out loud, running his fingers along his slightly damp locks. For Kami's sake, it seemed like getting lost in the woods was just not going to be enough for him. He should have let the elderly maid assigned to him to tag along when he'd decided to soak himself for a nice hot bath at the bathhouse. With depressing thoughts weighing down on him, he had politely refused her assistance and company to wait for him, knowing he would spend a good time loosening his body and mind up in the bath. And with another moment and space that he had needed to sort himself out, he had decided to take a brief late night walk instead of heading straight off to bed. He'd been sure then that he would find his way back to his room – how hard can that be, right?

It seemed that with that last thought in his mind before he set off, he had inevitably jinxed it.

And look where it had gotten himself into; some kind of a barren, still-under-construction sort of building, with little to no light aside from the beams of moonlight from between the wooden planks of the unfinished roofs ahead to guide him around.

He was lost_ – again._

Well, he couldn't blame it all to his poor navigational skill, right? It was just that he hadn't expected the layout of this fort of a lesser daimyō to be way more complicated than usual. And he had meant to ask around for directions as well, really. And that was only after he'd been walking around aimlessly until he'd realized that he was more lost than he thought.

It was not like he had found anyone around for now, too. It seemed that most of them are rather preoccupied with something on the other side of the fort, what with all the guards herding off towards the opposite wing as far as he could tell. If he listened closely, though, he could tell that the noises were actually getting louder now –or rather, maybe it was getting closer? _And what _is_ with all the commotion, anyway?_

Nearing the turn of a corner at the end of the hallway, he craned his neck to inspect the ruckus, curiosity getting the best of him.

"Huh?"

He did not expect, however, to see a dark figure emerging directly in his line of sight, speeding off alarmingly close to his direction at that very moment.

"What the – _oof_!"

He barely had a moment to grasp the situation at hand when said figure collided heavily onto his middle, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Something hard – a head, maybe? – slammed him right along his lower jaw, cutting off the curse word from his mouth. Unprepared for such sudden impact, his legs promptly gave away beneath him, his arms spread out at just the last second to break the fall.

_Just when I thought things couldn't have turned for the worse…_

Groaning out, he laboriously shrugged off the warm weight splayed across his torso and attempted to sit upright. With one hand supporting his body on the floor and the other rubbing his sore jaw, he glared up at whoever it was that had picked the unfortunate time to barrel over him that night.

"Watch where you're going, will ya?" he grumbled, letting his annoyance seep into his tone.

In the darkened hallway where the shadows kept most of the stranger's face in hiding, he could barely make out the lines of his form – the folds of his hooded cloak and the dark material covering most of his visage save for his eyes.

When the stranger lifted his eyes to meet his impatient ones, he could almost swear that he could actually feel that Time had screeched to a halt as his eyes were hopelessly locked into this stranger's gaze, leaving his dumbstruck mind in a confused state of momentary standstill that he just couldn't put his finger on.

"Everyone, he's over there! Don't let the thief get away!"

Before he could even start to make sense of it, a distant shout, steadily growing closer to their position cut in through the silence that had been encompassing around the two of them. With a start, both of them whipped their heads at the same time towards the direction of the approaching voices and yells. He surreptitiously peered at the darkly clad stranger from the corner of his eye just in time to see his eyes widen apprehensively, as his own narrowed in consternation. A cursory glance to the rather large pack at this person's side confirmed his suspicion.

For once, his mind caught up with him, and he quickly connected the dots here.

"You –!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger to him, but, moving with surprising speed, the thief landed a quick blow to his face with the back of his hand – eliciting a sharp grunt from the young man – and climbed to his feet, scurrying a little unsteadily at first before he briskly regained his footing and made a beeline for the long, narrow hallway where Naruto had come from earlier.

"_Son of a…!_"

Mentally cursing himself for his own lapse, he clutched his nose with a hiss. For the love of Kami, this bastard had come at just the _right_ time to make his already foul mood turn even worse.

Growling under his breath, he ignored the stinging pain on his nose and the other men already filing in the hallway. With gritted teeth, he quickly scrambled to his feet and followed suit, breaking out onto the narrow space with every intent and purposes to hunt that bastard's ass down and give him a piece of his mind – or rather his _knuckles_, given this particular situation.

Oh yes, he's gonna _pay._

He stretched out his legs and poured on his fuel as he raced down the hallway and turning at each corners, never taking his eyes off his assailant's back for too long. Steadily he gained on the thief, even as he ran at full tilt, trying to make ground with the pack of stolen items slung over his back. A furtive glance over his back revealed the intent young samurai hot on his heels, apparently hell-bent on getting him busted. With his breath stuck in his throat, the thief quickened his pace even more, trying vainly to outreach Naruto in the chase.

But Naruto was not one to give up. Hell, this thief would be sorely underestimating him if he thought he could just loose him by picking up his speed. Naruto pushed on even more, and, soon enough, the cloaked thief was well within his reach. With renewed vigor and a burst of speed, he sprang from the ball of one foot and leapt forward, using the momentum to tackle the thief to the floor, drawing out a cry of shock from him. The collision sent them both tumbling downwards in heaps and tangles, stopping with an abrupt bump at the side wall. Shaking his mind off the jumbles, he took advantage of the thief's currently stunned state lying prone under, and seized the chance to constrain him. Realizing his attempts, the thief quickly struggled from beneath him, trying hard to push away the heavier weight of the man pinning him down on the floor.

_Boy, he sure is relentless…_

Grunting, Naruto wrestled with the squirming thief with more effort, bringing forth his grappling skills to his benefit. Spreading his legs on both of the thief's sides, straddling him in place with his thighs pushed firmly against his smaller hips, Naruto linked his arm through one of the thief's flailing hand, locking the elbow joint straight under his armpit. His other arm shot out and wrapped around the thief's neck in the crook of his elbow in a chokehold; arching his back slightly with just enough pressure applied to constrict his movements without strangling the thief too much – effectively rendering him defenseless.

"So…" he said in between his panting, sweat beading across his forehead and sliding down along his temples, his damp bangs sticking on the sides of his face, "I gotcha now. Why don't you just give it up, eh?"

"Get _off_ me, you… you brute _jerk!"_

"Takes one to know one," Naruto snorted. It's not like he'd completely forgotten the slight swell of a bruise he was sure already forming by now on his nose, anyway. "Where's all the stuff you've gleaned off this place?" demanded him, adding more force to his hold.

His eyes roamed over the form of the seething thief beneath his hold, clawing fruitlessly at his arm around the slim neck, noting his rather slender – no, more like _scrawny_ for a guy, he assumed – and smaller figure. Now that the thought about it, this guy was at least a good half a feet shorter than him as well. Not to mention the oddly high-pitched tinge to his voice, too, despite his growl and the not-so-hushed string of profanities about a certain 'goddamned blonde samurai' muttered harshly under his breath.

_Don't tell me he's just a kid?_ Pursing his lips, Naruto lessen the pressure upon the thief slightly and shifted to take a better look of him. One eyebrow disappeared into his hairline, staring incredulously at the peculiar sight of a… _steamed bun_ peeking from the mouth of the small pack.

Taking a chance his current preoccupation with his perusal and reduced constrain over him, the thief tugged down his cloth mask using his free hand, ducked his head down and bit down hard on Naruto's arm. With a pained yelp, Naruto reflexively pulled his hand away and lifted off from him briefly. However, skilled as he was, Naruto admitted begrudgingly, a brief moment of momentary lapse was all the thief had needed, as he chose that moment to land a hit to his jaw with his elbow, and wriggled free from his constricted position on the ground. Quickly snatching his pack as well, he leapt to his feet and sprinted away, leaving a dazed Naruto nursing yet another sore spot on his face.

"Damn, he's good…"

* * *

><p><em>Damn it, I didn't account that random samurai in my initial planning…<em>

Chancing another discreet glance over her shoulder, she quickly slid close the sliding door with a muted tap.

"That was a close call," she breathed.

Panting to catch her breath, she leaned on the closed door and calmed herself to think. She had barely escaped that samurai, ignoring his shouts and slipped into one of the vacant rooms of the interconnected house of the north wing. She was safe for now, but not for long. She needed to find another escape route – fast.

"What are you doing here this late at night, child?"

With the shocked cry thankfully stuck at the lump in her throat, she whipped her head around to see an older man with shaved head sitting on the mat beyond the partially opened sliding door of the next room; fluid fingers clasped on the brush, writing down on a plain parchment. The minimal lighting of a single candle on the low table in the room casted shadows around his features, making him looked weathered and rather worn looking.

_Just an old man…_

Her shoulders relaxed incrementally, before her guard rose up again. She could not take her chances her. He could be able to immobilize her easily for all she knew, despite his appearance. Slinking further into the shadows of the darkened room, she readied her stance for a fight-or-flight situation.

"... Are you going to turn me in?" she carefully asked, warily eyeing the man.

A soft chuckle was not what she expected out of this man, however. "It depends, child, on your next course of action," he answered without looking up from his work.

She slowly nodded, still keeping herself in tensed anticipation for further troubles. It wasn't like she was going to trust him on his words anytime soon, anyway. "I won't be here for long. Just keep yourself shut; I don't want to have to hurt you, mister."

He paused in his work as he suddenly grunted and coughed, a fisted hand covering his mouth. Soon after, he shook in uncontrollable coughing fit, his body doubled over in front of the low table. Alarmed, she moved forward a little, a spark of concern displaying across her features.

"Are you alright?" she blurted out.

He merely waved her off, and ran down his hand over his chest when it died down, sighing heavily afterwards.

"It's nothing out of the norm for an old man like me, child."

Unconvinced, she opened her mouth to speak, but the rapidly approaching footsteps practically booming along the hallway outside cut her off short. She quickly ducked back and crouched over into perfect stillness at the darkest corner in the separate room, just in time for the door to slam open and a bundle of blonde headed man to burst through, his loud voice carrying over even to the end of the opposite wing, she suspected.

Sizing him up, she noticed the two katana secured on his hips, his worn navy blue kimono robe that differed from the rest of the guards she'd encountered in the fort, and the red spiral of a clan's crest embroidered on the fabric between two shoulder blades at the back, immediately identifying him as someone of a samurai ranking. Though there wasn't much she could discern of his looks with his back facing her, her green eyes narrowed into two icy slits at the recognition of the man's – barely a man, really – voice, her own anger simmering up at the pit of her gut as she recalled his interference with her escape attempts not ten minutes ago. _Why the hell is he so persistent?_

"_Old man Nobu_!" he hollered. _And heavens, could he be any _louder_?_ she thought with a wince.

"Good evening to you, too, Uzumaki." _Ah, so that's that _bastard_ of a guy's name, huh?_

"Ah, right, Nobu-san. Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," he amended sheepishly. "Geez, I thought I saw that guy went in here," he scratched his head in confusion. "Did you see some short brat with black clothing around here, old man?" And strangely, he could almost swear that he felt a heated glare boring onto his back right at that moment.

With casual indifference, the older man – _Nobu_, as the darn samurai called him – tilted his head up a little from his work and raised his eyebrows before he answered in negative, much to the young thief's surprise. "No one's crossed my path here before you, young man."

"Yeah… Figured you'll inform the others if you've seen anyone fishy around here…" He sighed. "Anyway, you alright? I thought I heard you hacking pretty bad from out there."

"I'm fine now," Nobu assured, and she flinched as his eyes flickered for just a short second to her hidden position.

"If you say so…" Uzumaki did not sound convinced, but then he dismissed it quickly, half his body already turned towards the door. "And, Nobu-san?"

"Hm?"

The young samurai fidgeted in place, and spoke hesitantly. "If you happen to catch the thief, I hope you and the others won't treat him too badly." At the older man's questioning look, he hastened to explain. "I think he's just a kid stealing buns and some food, a-and I know it's still not right and it's none of my business – it's _your_ stuff's being stolen in the first place, anyway – but I don't think he really did meant us any harm, though he did land a few hits on me, but, ah…" he trailed off, seemingly unsure if he had just made his point through or he had only made it sound worse than he had actually meant to say. And it only made him look all the more nervous at the older man's incredulous look.

As for the figure hidden from view of both of the men in the separate room, she could only stare at the blond samurai in speechless bewilderment, astonishment and… utter disbelief.

A few seconds passed when Nobu finally nodded and resumed his work. "I'll see what I can do."

With a big grin, he saluted and bounded away, oblivious to the pair of emerald eyes trailing after his retreating form.

A minute passed after Naruto left when she silently emerged from the dark room and faced the man with narrowed eyes.

"Why did you help me?"

Nobugaki put down his brush and met her stare levelly. "I only acted on my own whim," he simply stated. "And I believe that you, child, have only stole some food," he nodded to the open sack of buns slung over her shoulder, "for sustenance, which I am sure was hardly anything of much worth to deprive the clan's house in the slightest."

She was not convinced for the former, but she was not going to push it. It was lucky enough for her to chance upon this strange man, who was willingly keeping her hidden when it was glaringly obvious that she was the culprit behind the current chaotic mess.

But as for the latter…

She would hate to admit that it left a bitter taste in mouth in the wake of her guilty conscious, especially at the man's apparent belief in her act of thievery as only her way for survival.

Well, _that_ was partially true, and she did steal some valuables to last her for the weeks to come, but –

The man's cough tore her away from her contemplations, and she felt bad all over again. Peering over at the man's aged face and his tired, bloodshot eyes, she felt her resolve gave in.

"No, you got it wrong." She sighed heavily. Taking out the coin pouch from her sleeve, she reluctantly placed it on the low table across from a nonplussed Nobu. Recognition lit the man's dark eyes at a glance on the silk coin pouch. "You look like you could use some money to help you with, um, your… condition."

"Child –"

"Look, just… just take it, as my thanks to you."

Turning sharply back to the entrance – who knows she might just change her mind and snatch that pouch away – with brisk steps, she was stopped short by the older man's unexpected words.

"Take the turn to the right."

"Huh?" She turned inquisitively to find the old man looking at her with a kind smile.

"Take the turn to the right and keep your eyes on the walls. You will find an opening behind a worn calligraphy scroll hung on a wall – it will open up to a narrow passageway beneath the unfinished north wing. Without encountering any of the guards, you should be able to reach the end of the wall fairly easily," guided him, and as an afterthought, he added warningly. "Careful, though; I suspect the structure is unstable."

Further stunned with surprise at the old man's willingness to aid her in her escape, she could only nod dumbly with a mumbled thank you, and disappeared down the right turn, completely missing the knowing look and the faint smile directed her way before the door slid close.

* * *

><p>He hadn't completely left the compound where he had found Nobugaki writing in the room, and so when he had turned back from a dead end and retraced his steps back, he was somewhat surprised to see the thief – a <em>kid<em>, he reminded himself – crouching down to step inside the narrow passage on the wall he had already checked on just a few minutes ago.

He had followed after him into the tunnel passages, and he had called out after him, and _man_, he'd bet that little guy got speedy little legs as well.

The tunnel passage wasn't long, either, and after ducking under jutting wooden planks and coughing at the fine debris and dust floating up in their wake, soon he'd found himself just a few steps behind the smaller guy, nearing the mouth of the end of the passage.

And now, stopped dead in his tracks at the shaking pillars hung precariously above the thief's head, he saw a man standing with one foot planted on the loosely connected pillars just a few yards ahead, a huge, sick smile plastered on his anticipatory face. Naruto instinctively knew what he meant to do, and what would take place soon after.

"You're _dead_, thief!"

It was the guard from earlier, Kenta.

Naruto watched with horror as Kenta slammed his feet down the support pillar with all his might, the breaking sound resonating back along the hollow passage.

"_Watch out!"_

Without thinking much further, Naruto pushed in as much as he can into the balls of his feet, and dived in right after the thief pausing in his steps at his urgent cry – slamming right into the bewildered thief down to the ground; just in time to get him out of harm's way, but not enough to get himself away from it completely. With his arms bent at the elbows to support his upper body bent protectively over the smaller figure of the thief beneath him, he grunted at the impact of the falling wooden pillars against his back, gritting his teeth as he forcefully casted away the pain from his mind.

When the last of the broken pillars slide down his back, he caught the wide-eyed gaze peeking over a shoulder beneath him, and for a most ridiculous moment blamed on his currently questionable lucidity, he thought his heart skipped a beat at the subtle spark felt inside his sternum shocking him into standstill – just like that time all those years before.

And somehow, strange as it may sound, he knew the thief trapped between his protective arms felt it, too.

Then, as soon as that peculiar sensation came, it was washed away swiftly when he felt his strength drained away, transitioned into a dull ache all over his body. With his body sagging down, he leaned on one elbow and dropped unceremoniously onto his side to the ground beside the thief with a groan, and everything went blurry and unfocused after then.

He felt the cloaked thief shuffled over beside him, and touched a cool palm on his cheek. He ignored the involuntary chill that ran goose bumps along his skin at the contact, believing it was his mind playing things in his tired state of mind.

He watched as the thief bowed his head, his words mere muddled pieces of fragmented sound in his hazy mind, and his eyes barely tracked his movements as he disappeared into the night before his eyes slid shut, exhaustion finally getting the better of him.

He heard the approaching guards in the distant, and Kenta's accusing words in the back of his mind.

"_I saw him… working along with the thief… the scum helped…got away… "_

Shifting his body and laid on his back, he groaned out as the aching limbs shook in protest with the movement. Looking at his current predicament and the trouble undoubtedly awaiting him right now, he smirked as he thought wryly.

_Yep, this errand is _way _more trouble than it worth._

* * *

><p><em>Stupid.<em>

_Stupid, stupid, _stupid_._

The word rang like a mantra in her head, each one gaining even more venom that the last one, and, pissed and confused and a tiny bit relieved as she was at the whole event transpiring that very night, she couldn't help but to rain down every word of profanities in her knowledge down to every single person in that fort that moment – the gathering clansmen, the harsh guards, the loud, nosy maids, the stupid blond samurai;_ hell_, even _herself_.

Why the hell did that guy not just take off and flee the scene the way she did? Why did he just have to play the hero card and sacrifice himself in turn for her safety and escape? It wasn't like he owed her something or anything of the like, nor did she did anything worth of his help. And _no_, she did _not _blush when his eyes locked on to hers and at their close proximity at that time – _no_, it was the rush of adrenaline flowing along her veins, that's all. All in the messy turn of event when he had jumped out to save her from the collapsing ceiling above. Now look what he'd gotten himself into; dust and dirt covering the bruises she was sure were forming underneath, bound by the guards and shoved around like a convicted criminal, taking the brunt of the guards' ire – for _her_.

And, above all, why the hell did she felt obligated – _compelled_, even – to save his ass right now?

And at the same time, here she was, safely perched on a high branch of a tall tree at the end of the stone wall, overlooking the expanse of the dark lines of the woods beyond the fort's territory on her right, and allowing her the full, unobstructed view of the commotion below taking place in the courtyard, centering around the strange samurai she – reluctantly – called her unexpected savior.

A kick to the samurai's gut from one of the larger guards made her wince involuntarily. Seeing her savior getting dragged away by the guards from her hidden spot behind the shadowed foliage, she was torn between her finely-honed instinct practically screaming at her to just slide her way down the inclined fort's base and run for it, and the insistent nagging of her guilty consciousness clawing its way down to the pit of her stomach. And damn it, she had always kept to the former choice before, a lesson learned hard from experience and drilled down firmly into her head by her Nee-chan.

But she couldn't very well leave him on his own after what he had done for her, too…

Stifling a groan, she buried her face in her hand.

_Stupid_ samurai with their _stupid_ chivalrous code of heroic act – was there really any samurai left to take those ridiculous rules to the heart nowadays, anyway? Doubly _moronic _for this guy to help out an obviously convicted _thief_ who had been caught red-handed in her act of theft at the price of his own safety and innocence.

_Stupid_ maid for stumbling upon her and screaming her _stupid_ lungs out.

Stupid _her_ for getting noticed by that loudmouth of maid in the first place, anyway.

"Goddamn it…"

Mentally sending a silent apology to her revered guardian's way, she tore hand away from her face, leapt off from her perch on the branch and landed on the grassy ground below with a dull thud.

_Damn it all._

* * *

><p>"Ugh…"<p>

A groan floated up in the mostly barren holding cell from the occupant lying on his side on the cold, stone floor.

At least an hour had passed since he had been taken in by the guards to the holding cells of the lower ground, thrown in behind locked bars and interrogated through and through by the senior retainers. He remembered getting a few beatings here and there, and a visit from Lord Nobugaki himself afterwards. Though the beatings ceased immediately at his command, he was astonished to see how unfamiliar he seemed at that time, standing tall and menacing, his voice cold and cutting – the very image of a capable, ferocious clan leader so very different from the warm and easygoing side of him that Naruto had known best during his short time of acquaintance with him.

He had told Naruto that this matter would be dealt with on the next day, and sound judgment shall be given to him. He wondered if that old man's reason had deteriorated so much if he eventually chose to buy that worthless Kenta's words, seeing him saving that thief as a sort of act of treason or something.

It was not like he regretted it, no. He knew the consequences of his actions the moment he was stuck between letting the upper ceiling collapse on the thief, or pushes him out of harm's way. And it was infinitely a better decision to choose the latter, though it had its own drawbacks inflicted upon his own self. But, pissed as he was, if such situation was presented upon himself again, he still wouldn't change his decision.

_A samurai must not hesitate in his actions, and almost always needed of him to make the right decisions, even in hard situations. Justice and reason are the important aspects in making hard decisions. These are the key component for the virtue _Gi – _the_ rectitude_, after all._

_But remember this, Naruto… Depending on the situation, human lives always outweigh such judgments, so think wisely and make the right choice. It could save your skin one day._

Jiraiya's words rang clear in his mind. Yes, he believed it was the right choice, saving that thief's life even if it meant letting him go free, while he waited impatiently here for the arrival of daybreak to face the outcome of his judgment.

And so here he was, lying on his back, staring at the ceiling when he heard the sound of metal clinking from the iron bars.

_Clank!_

Sitting up laboriously, swallowing the pained groan in his throat, he could see the shadowed figure of a person carefully pulling up the iron bar out of the door frame, hefting up the heavy bar with obvious effort and setting it aside against the opposite wall. He could hear him panting for breath as he pried open the door as quietly as possible, and even with the cloth mask covering half his face, he could practically see the smug glint in his eyes – apparently satisfied with his handiwork.

And the mere presence of this guy spelled _trouble _for him.

"What the hell do you think you're _doing_?!"

"What do _you_ think I'm doing?" he snapped back, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "I'm getting you out of here, dimwit."

"Like _hell_ I'm going anywhere with you!" he retorted, his voice echoing over the walls and the dimly lit passages.

"Keep it down or the others' will find out, moron!" he hissed warningly.

"I'm staying _here_," Naruto hissed back, one forefinger jabbing the stone floor to press his point.

"Oh, you'll stay _right there_ for a long while all right if you delay us much longer," he remarked sarcastically. "Now get your rear up and about."

Naruto stay rooted to the cold stone ground, crossing his arms and jutting his chin defiantly. "Like I said, I'm not going anywhere with you. I trust old man Nobu's say in this mess. Why should I run away now? It's not like I've done any _crime_ here on my part," he stated, emphasizing the word 'crime' with a pointed look directed on the thief's face.

He snorted. "Yeah, right. You sure about that? 'Cause I'm pretty sure the others are peeved with you, what's with that big guy spreading bad words about you around like wildfire."

_Kenta._ He knew immediately who this guy was talking about. Apparently their petty little squabble from earlier before did not just end there at the gates, that bastard.

Nevertheless, he was not inclined to follow along the thief.

"Do what you want, kid, but I'm not budging an inch. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a _samurai_." He straightened his back. "And a samurai does _not_ run with tails between his legs in situations such as this, even more so when he is not in the wrong," he stated matter-of-factly, reciting Jiraiya's exact words in his _bushid__ō_ lessons.

"Oh?" Hands propped on his hips, the thief stared him down, tone challenging. "And who's gonna save _you_ when the everyone else is against you, and there you stay rooted to the ground, with no one on your side but your blades? What then, _samurai_?" His eyes narrowed, and his voice dropped several degrees cooler. "Naivety doesn't survive life, Uzumaki, and neither does blind faith."

He went on. "I can tell you that your fate that lies in the hands of the men of this clan doesn't look promising much to me. Do you really think they'll believe the words of an outsider rather than their own men? This is not the time and place to roll your dice and gamble on to your fate; honest belief is never enough. You see the first chance of survival, you _hold on_ to it. And here I am," he held out one hand to him, "presenting you that chance."

Naruto gaped at him speechlessly, the retort on his lips as to how he'd known his name forgotten, partly because of his words, but mostly at the cold venom dripping into his voice like poisoned icicles, and the hard, burning look in his eyes that made him look years older than he thought he was – a look that he had seen worn by battle-seasoned enemies and allies alike.

"Why?" he blurted out unthinkingly, mentally scolding himself for his _flawless_ eloquence in his question. What was he really trying to ask by that single word? A question to why did he decided to help him out? Why did he know his name? Why did he seem so sure of what was to come of his fate? And why did he seem so… bitter of the world?

After a moment of silence, the thief's answer only offered the answer to his former question. "Because I don't like keeping debts for long."

Naruto suspected that his rather vague and offhanded answer had more to it. At his dubious look, he added. "I'm not gonna bite you, samurai."

Warily eyeing the hand still held out before him, Naruto contemplated over his words.

Grudgingly, this kid – younger than he was, he assumed – did get a point there, though he would never admit it out loud. It's a common knowledge that helping a convicted criminal of any level will result in the same punishment executed upon said criminal according to his crimes; and worse even for a samurai warrior, even for a lower-ranked one like him. He could count on Nobugaki's judgment, true, but what of the elders? He knew for a fact that most of them old geezers, regardless of clans, were critical and prejudicious to each and every little detail, usually siding on their favored side – and he wouldn't be surprised if he was to receive the shorter end of their ultimatum. He couldn't afford to test his luck here – hell, he still got a long way to go in his apprenticeship with Jiraiya! He still got his own dreams and goals to achieve, after all. And how was he to accomplish them if, in fact, things here turn out for the worst, and that was to say, getting in chains and executed?

Would he be willing to take the risk for their sake, even by placing his unwanted trust in a thieving stranger?

"Come on, we don't have all day!" the thief urged impatiently, snapping him out to make his decision.

Tentatively reaching out for his hand, as if it might lash out and snap at his fingers at any moment, Naruto then made his resolve and grasped the hand firmly in his larger one.

He'd take this chance, and find out the answer along the way and after.

* * *

><p>Dawn was reaching out from beyond the eastern horizon, casting golden beams of light through the gaps of the closed doors of the lesser daimyō's private chambers, illuminating the sides of the faces of the two occupants residing inside the room – one sitting on the raised platform and the other stood at attention at the other's instructions. Their hushed exchange was interrupted abruptly by the urgent knock on the sliding door and the emergence of two guards bowing before their lord.<p>

"Pardon us for the intrusion, Nobugaki-sama, but we have important report to relay," one of the guards said.

"Proceed."

"Yes, my lord. The Uzumaki prisoner is not found in his cell nor is he around the fort's compound, Nobugaki-sama. We believe –"

The other guard – Kenta, Nobugaki recognized – spoke up then, his voice drowning out his partner's report. "That treacherous brat escaped from the holding cells last night, that sneaky bastard! If I could get my hands on him –" he started, but he was silenced by Nobugaki's stern look.

The other guard cleared his throat, and continued. "We believe it happened at the time during the guards' second change of shift. And the one of the maids on duty at that time reported barely seeing two suspicious figures moving along the north wing, but she couldn't be sure."

An eyebrow flew up his forehead, and he shared a look with his retainer. "Anything of his companion's identity?" he inquired, though he actually had a good idea about just who Naruto's 'companion' was.

"It must be that thief from last night!" Kenta cut in, his distaste displayed openly on his gruff face. Then, his tone turned smug at his next sentence. "I told you that Uzumaki brat has got his hands in this –"

"_Silence,_ Kenta," Nobugaki snapped, causing the guard to clamp his mouth shut at his sharp command.

"We estimated that they have at least a few hours head start on us, but considering Uzumaki's condition, I'd say that we could still catch up to them without much trouble," his partner continued, sparing a sidelong glance at Kenta. "Should we go after them, my lord?"

Nobugaki dragged in a long breath, and released it in a breathy chuckle. He waved them off dismissively, and turned his back on them to hide his amused look. "There's no need for such measures. Leave them be as they are."

His statement left the guard staring in confusion at his master's back while Kenta sputtered with indignant.

"B-but, my lord, they –!"

"Does my order not clear enough for you, men?"

The other guard spoke up. "But, why, Nobugaki-sama? The elders have decided his trial to be dealt with this day."

His question was supported eagerly by his partner. "Ryu's right! Such degrading actions should not be tolerated upon a fellow samurai! He must be punished!"

With a weary sigh, he turned to them and inquired silkily. "Do remind me of the list of stolen items resulting from the last night's theft."

Bewildered, the guards looked at each other, but Ryu replied readily. "A pouch of gold coins worth a thousand ryō, a priceless heirloom comb –"

"Which both have been returned and found respectively at the very same night. Anything else of importance?"

The men faltered, and they fidgeted in place. "Ah, well… The kitchen staff had reported missing rice crackers, steamed buns, and some dried… fish…"

"Is that all?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Then it's settled. A few, minor shortage of the fort's supply will not affect us terribly in the slightest. I will deal with the elders later. Now leave me and my retainer to our discussion at once," he firmly commanded.

As his guards bowed and left the chamber, he turned to his retainer, Saburo, who had been quietly keeping to himself during the whole exchange.

"Looks like someone's faster than we are," Nobugaki remarked amusedly.

"It seems so, master," Saburo agreed.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped." He reached into his sleeve and procured a sealed scroll, handing it over to his faithful retainer. "I think he might have forgotten this," he said, his eyes darting around the vacant hallway.

Taking the scroll from his master, Saburo nodded, perfectly understanding Nobugaki's underlying meaning, and silently signaled to his master for to confirm their secured privacy. "I will get it to him, master, but…" he turned inquisitive eyes to Nobugaki. "Is it really fine with you? I could dispatch my subordinates to retrieve him, if you wish it so. I understand your reasons, but if the elders find out…"

Nobugaki coughed and shook his head. "Like I've said, Saburo, it is nothing to fuss over about."

Saburo nodded his head again, trusting his master's wiser judgment. "But, to be able to infiltrate the fort unnoticed for the better part of the evening, the thief…" he trailed off.

"Yes, I've been thinking about that too. Quite a skilled one, for someone still young at age…" murmured Nobugaki, speaking mostly to himself.

"… Could he be a ninja?"

Nobugaki thought for a moment, before he replied. "No." He paced about the room, hands interlaced behind his back. "_She_ is skilled, true, and I can see that she had been trained by one at some point in her life, but her skills were not polished enough to its finest as all ninjas ought to be."

He went on. "Her actions are mostly defensive, and from what is reported to us of the deeds she had done so far, and from what I've seen for myself in my brief encounter with her, it seems that she is, after all, just another survivor of the harsh life brought about by the political strife." His eyes softened, and his voice turned gruff with sorrow. He knew what this meant. It seemed that the tense situation between the Capital and the Five Great Nations, along with the constant war between rivaling clans, had not bode well for each side involved in this entanglement – and worst so for the civilian commoners. This young thief, stealing around and even taking such a risky chance to try out her luck at a daimyō's domain as a result of survival desperation was a testament to that very fact.

Shaking his head off such brooding thoughts for now, he dismissed matter. "Well, it doesn't matter now…" _Though I think that green eyes were somehow familiar, however…_

"Do you really think Uzumaki-san really is involved in such treachery, master?" Saburo asked, though he knew quite well himself of the truth of the answer to that question.

At this, Nobugaki merely chuckled. "Well, who knows? I can only say that apparently his master has been rubbing off on him…"

_Just like Jiraiya… always getting yourself into troubles…_

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Sorry it's a bit delayed than I have originally planned for (now I can fully understand the horror of a writer's block). And let's brace ourselves – I'll be continuing my studies in university this November, so, unfortunately, it'll take a bit longer than usual to post up new chapters. And that's why I posted an extra-long chapter this time around to make up for it. But worry not, I'll still make some time to work on this story as best as I can, as fast as I can possibly manage.<p>

This chapter has more of Naruto and bits of his background highlighted here – it'll be some of the major component in the story's plot. And to make it clearer for you readers, whenever I am writing in Naruto's point of view, I'll be referring Saku – ahem, I mean _that thief_– as 'him/he/his'. You'll find out why soon enough.

The action part I've inserted here is my first try on that kind of writing; I hope it doesn't sound too bland or repetitive? I have to go over my brother's judo instruction book as well as referring to the martial arts communities in the net - heck, I even asked my brother to demonstrate them on me, to really know and experience how it works. So I've also added another term to the list of 'clarified terms' below.

Another thing is that I've changed the list of characters here, enlisting only Sakura and Naruto as the main characters. Though other characters will still play their own major parts as well – especially Kakashi and Sasuke – I hope I can clarify the main pairing involved with the romantic aspect of this story this way. Hints of other pairings may or may not be included here – platonically or romantically, though the former is much more likely to happen. The development for romance will be slow, gradual and subtle at first, even more so for other minor pairings – you'll have to _squint_ your eyes a little bit to spot them.

And even if the main pairing is predetermined, I can tell you that a _certain _Uchiha _*cough*Sasuke*cough*_ will play an important part in the main pairing's romantic development. I can say that the romantical aspect of this story benefits not just _one_ side of certain ship, you know what I mean? *wiggling eyebrows suggestively*

* * *

><p>Alright, more terms to be clarified:<p>

Bushidō code _Gi_ – the first of the Seven Virtues. And here I quote the definition: "Although it's often translated as 'rectitude', 'morality' makes it easier to understand instead. Bushido: The Spirit of Japan defines morality in two ways: as the power of unwavering decision upon a certain course of conduct and more metaphorically as the bone that gives firmness and stature.

'Morality is one's power to decide upon a course of conduct in accordance with reason, without wavering; to die when to die is right, to strike when to strike is right.' Morality is the bone that gives firmness and stature. Without bones the head cannot rest on top of the spine, nor hands move nor feet stand. So without morality neither talent nor learning can make the human frame into a samurai.'"

Grappling - her in this story the movement I take to display is an example move of a judo and jyujitsu combined that mostly works as a way to lock the opponent in place, or to render them helpless to move around without inflicting some damage to themselves. Grappling moves varied from many positions to the various limbs/weakpoints involved.

Chokehold - as described here, it is an act of wrapping your limbs around your opponents' neck to choke them or causing them to lose focus on trying to fight the attacker's back off him - instead, in a way, this movement distracted them to focus more on trying to catch their breaths, thus, causing their defense to recede enough to weaken them and giving the attackers' enough opportunity to attack/lock/knocking them out.

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><p>As always, I thank you, all of your readers, for taking in interest in my story. Double thank yous to those who've favoritedfollowed this story, and triple more so for those who left a review. They all mean a lot to me, really. I love to know your opinion and insights regarding this story and my writing skills.

Thank you guest reviewer AI, who have left lovely reviews for the last 2 chapters. I love to hear your opinions and insights; you have helped me to know my writing style better. I'm really glad you found my story to be interesting, as I have to admit that I am a bit insecure about it all along. And, your words have been very flattering indeed, but I must say that I have much to learn still, from other people as well as yourself.

Thanks a bunch to another guest reviewer, Melancholy! I'm happy to know that you've taken a liking to this story, and how you don't mind the details and long sentences. And I'm sorry for the cliffhanger – I for one as well usually loath cliffhangers myself, but I figured that I really couldn't continue the story in the same chapter from that point on. I've crossed the line I've set myself for the word count _waaayyy_ ahead already. No cliffies this time around, eh?

Lots of love,

Audy Ruki


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